The Darkest Season
by Faunamon
Summary: Long ago, before Firestar walked the forest, a time of darkness fell, and murder stalked at every pawstep. Merrypaw is determined to discover the truth about mysterious deaths across all four Clans - but when she does find the truth, can she handle it?
1. Allegiances

**Warriors: The Darkest Season**

**ALLEGIANCES**

**SHADOWCLAN**

**Leader** Stripedstar – huge grey tabby tom with amber eyes

**Deputy** Yellowtail – fluffy white she-cat with bright yellow eyes

**Apprentice, Lionpaw**

**Medicine cat** Larkleaf – beautiful golden-and-white tabby she-cat with green eyes

**Warriors** Rushpelt – skinny black and white tom

Stonewing – grey tom with a white muzzle and blue eyes

Frostpool – tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with ice blue eyes

**Apprentice, Merrypaw**

Badgerfur – golden tom with a darker stripe down his back

**Apprentice, Smallpaw**

Birdsong – beautiful golden-and-grey she-cat with amber eyes

Foxfang – dark brown tom with bright green eyes

Smolderfur – smoky grey tom with amber eyes

**Apprentice, Thornpaw**

**Apprentices** Lionpaw – light brown tom with blue eyes

Merrypaw – very dark brown she-cat with dark green eyes

Smallpaw – tiny black tom with blue eyes

Thornpaw – pale silver-grey she-cat with light green eyes

**Queens** Brookheart – silver tabby she-cat with blue eyes, mate of Foxfang

**Elders** Stormtail – very old grey tom with a crooked tail

Lightstorm – golden she-cat with amber eyes

**THUNDERCLAN**

**Leader** Lizardstar – black tom with amber eyes

**Deputy** Lightningpelt – light golden tom with blue eyes

**Medicine cat** Briarcloud – blue-grey tom with white paws

**Apprentice, Blazepaw**

**Warriors **Mintheart – dark grey she-cat with light blue eyes

**Apprentice, Brightpaw**

Snowstorm – white tom with green eyes

Tansyfern – tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes

**Queens **Amberwing – pretty brown she-cat with amber eyes, mother of Lizardstar's kits

**(kits Rainkit = grey tom, Poppykit = white she-kit)**

**WINDCLAN**

**Leader** Dreamstar – tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with grey-blue eyes

**Apprentice, Dovepaw**

**Deputy** Sandpelt – orange-brown tom with a white tail-tip

**Medicine cat** Clearwater – black she-cat with piercing blue eyes

**Warriors** Weaseltail – dark brown tom

Shiningpelt – white she-cat with amber eyes

Redclaw – dark brown tabby tom with blue eyes

**Apprentice, Shallowpaw**

**Elders** Eagle-eye – brown and white tom with one green eye and one blue

**RIVERCLAN**

**Leader** Flowerstar – golden tabby she-cat with blue eyes

**Deputy** Willowheart – cream-colored she-cat with green eyes

**Medicine cat** Milkberry – white she-cat with golden paws

**Apprentice, Daypaw**

**Warriors** Onespirit – brown tom with darker stripes and amber eyes

**Apprentice, Heartpaw**

Preciousheart – golden she-cat with amber eyes

Ragingstream - dark grey tom with blue eyes

**Queens** Oakflower – brown and white she-cat with blue eyes, mate of Onespirit

**Elders** Sunclaw – cream-colored tom

Greytail – grey tom with green eyes

* * *

**Ok, so… there you have it. By the way, I can't take credit for the name Larkleaf… I got it from a name generator, but I liked it so much I decided to use it. These allegiances are partial - only ShadowClan is represented fully. The other cats listed are either high in rank or (probably) will be mentioned within the story.**

**Stay tuned for the prologue!**


	2. Prologue

**Warriors: The Darkest Season**

**Officially beginning my new story… (deep breath) Look, I really hope everyone likes it at least as much as my SkyClan books… really, though, I'm just hoping someone reads. If you do – whether you love it, hate it, or couldn't care less – please review! I'm probably going to go ahead and write chapter 1, too, so please expect it later today.**

* * *

**PROLOGUE**

"What do you mean, my father is dead?"

Cats frantically rushed around the island where RiverClan made their home, clearly all as upset as the brown and white she-cat who had spoken. Her blue eyes shone defiantly and the fur on her neck began to rise, as if she were denying what she had been told.

Her mate, a brown tom with darker brown stripes, lowered his head sadly. "I wish it weren't true, Oakflower," he answered quietly. "Flamefeather was found dead in the river by the dawn patrol."

"Now I _know_ it's not true!" Oakflower insisted, her pelt bristling – whether with rage or grief, it was hard to tell. "My father was one of the best swimmers in RiverClan – you know that, Onespirit!"

"I do," Onespirit agreed. "The whole Clan knows, in fact. That's why everyone is so upset – they believe he was murdered."

Oakflower let out a wail of despair. "Are you telling me they wouldn't be upset if he'd died on his own?" she demanded. Without waiting for a reply, she continued, "No Clan cat would have done such a thing! Who had a quarrel with my father?"

"I don't know," Onespirit admitted. "Your father was well-respected, Oakflower, even among cats of other Clans. He always had many friends to greet at Gatherings."

After a moment of silence, Oakflower hung her head and whispered, "Well, he won't be greeting them anymore." Tail drooping, she trudged away, finally appearing to have calmed down.

Onespirit turned and padded towards the rocks at the far end of the island camp; Flamefeather's body had been stretched out beside them. As he approached his mate's dead father, Onespirit leaned down and gave the body a sniff; as he'd suspected, the river had washed away all scents but Flamefeather's and those of the cats who had carried his body back to camp. There were obvious bite marks in his neck, but RiverClan's leader, Flowerstar, had personally inspected the body herself and found no other clues to the killer's identity.

"Why?" Onespirit whispered. "Why did this have to happen? Why to you, Flamefeather?"

Standing up straight and padding towards the warriors' den, Onespirit couldn't help but think, _At least it's over now…_


	3. Chapter 1

**Warriors: The Darkest Season**

**Yep, chapter one time! And now we go into ShadowClan territory – keep watch for frogs! Well… um… I really hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE**

It was a quiet day, and nothing stirred. The needles of the pine trees had no wind to move them; in the boggy soil, one lone frog sat, crouched, as if waiting for something. Nothing dared to make any sort of movement at all.

In a flash, something burst from the undergrowth; the frog tried to leap away, but it was too late. Dark brown paws clamped around its body, and sharp teeth quickly sank into its neck. As the frog went limp in the jaws of the deep brown she-cat, another cat padded up behind her.

"Great job, Merrypaw!" the tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat purred, her light blue eyes shining with pride.

"Thanks, Frostpool!" the brown apprentice mewed around the fresh-kill that was still held in her mouth, blinking up at the older warrior with dark green eyes. "I used the stalking techniques you taught me last night."

"I could tell," Merrypaw's mentor replied. "You're doing a lot better – I'll never forget the time when you stalked a bird and caught a tree stump!" Her voice was warm with amusement, but Merrypaw didn't find the memory as humorous.

"It's not funny," she grumbled, although she doubted Frostpool could hear her through the body of the frog.

"Come on," Frostpool called, turning and beginning to walk away. "We should find the rest of our patrol and bring our catch back to camp."

"Yeah!" Merrypaw answered, bouncing after her mentor excitedly. "I bet I caught more than Smallpaw!" It was no secret that Merrypaw loved to outdo her brother at everything – be it hunting, fighting, or fetching bedding for the elders.

After they'd unearthed the rest of their prey, the two cats continued on towards the direction of the ShadowClan camp. Soon after passing the Burnt Sycamore, a tree struck down by lightning long before any cat could remember, Frostpool and Merrypaw met up with the remainder of the hunting patrol. Smallpaw, his mentor Badgerfur, and a skinny black-and-white tom named Rushpelt were standing almost impatiently, their jaws filled with three mice, two lizards, and a snake that hung from Rushpelt's jaws like a kit being carried by its mother.

Merrypaw bounded forward and touched noses with her brother, a frog and mouse held between her own teeth. She dropped them on the ground and exclaimed, "I caught more than you, Smallpaw!"

"Did not!" the tiny black tom retorted. "Badgerfur is just holding some of my prey for me. I caught two mice _and _a lizard, all by myself!"

"Well, I got a frog!" Merrypaw informed him. "You didn't get any frogs, now, did you?"

Merrypaw looked up at Badgerfur, hoping for praise; aside from Smallpaw's mentor, the golden tom was also his and Merrypaw's father. Named for the darker stripe down his back, Badgerfur was a brave and powerful warrior, and Merrypaw hoped to be just like him someday.

Badgerfur, however, said nothing. He simply turned and padded towards the direction of camp, with Rushpelt and Frostpool closely following. Merrypaw was secretly disappointed, but she didn't want her brother to see that; instead, she picked up her prey and bounded after them, with Smallpaw close behind.

For some reason Merrypaw didn't quite understand, Badgerfur very rarely even spoke to her. He seemed to have no quarrels when Stripedstar assigned him to be Smallpaw's mentor, but Merrypaw had a strange feeling that her father would have protested if the Clan leader had given her to Badgerfur as an apprentice. Merrypaw tried to tell herself that it was probably because he and her mother, Birdsong, weren't mates anymore – but the two of them still got along, and Badgerfur enjoyed spending time with Smallpaw.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Merrypaw realized that the patrol was about to enter the ShadowClan camp. Slipping through the bramble tunnel, she winced as a stray thorn scratched her ear.

Once inside the camp, Merrypaw walked towards the fresh-kill pile, which was located near the nursery. After dropping her mouse and frog onto the pile, the brown apprentice prepared to walk away when something pounced on her tail. Merrypaw whipped her head back in alarm, but relaxed when she realized it was only a pale silver she-cat.

"What in StarClan's name are you _doing_, Thornpaw?" she demanded, whipping her tail out from under her best friend's paws.

Thornpaw shrugged. "I had to get your attention somehow," she pointed out.

"Well," Merrypaw replied, trying as hard as possible not to lose her temper, "did you ever consider calling my name?"

"Well, I did, but that just seemed so boring," Thornpaw admitted; she didn't seem ashamed at all. Merrypaw sighed. It was okay to be happy and energetic, but when would her friend learn to stop acting like a kit?

"Smallpaw caught more prey than me today," Merrypaw told Thornpaw, sitting down and beginning to wash her left paw. Thornpaw sat down next to her, but didn't wash. "And Badgerfur still doesn't notice me."

"That's kind of… wrong," Thornpaw replied. "I mean… he's your father, Merrypaw. He has to pay attention to you at some point – in fact, there should be something about this in the warrior code!"

Merrypaw rolled her eyes. "I'm not sure if I'd go that far."

"Hey, do you know when Brookheart will have her kits?" Thornpaw asked suddenly. "I know Foxfang is going just crazy waiting on them."

At that exact moment, ShadowClan's medicine cat, Larkleaf, emerged from the hollow of the nursery. She was beautiful, with golden and white tabby fur and bright green eyes that had given Larkleaf her full medicine cat name. She was still quite young; her mentor, Silverwing, had died not long ago by accidentally eating deathberries.

"The kits are coming soon!" Larkleaf announced, her green eyes shining. "Possibly within the moon, and it could even be today."

"That's great!" Thornpaw exclaimed, leaping to her paws. Her own light green eyes seemed to shine even brighter than the medicine cat's. "I'm going to go tell Smolderfur!" As Thornpaw rushed off to find her mentor, Merrypaw turned to face Larkleaf, a question of her own on her mind.

"Hey, Larkleaf?"

"Yes?" mewed the beautiful she-cat.

"I was just wondering… when Silverwing died… well, how do you _accidentally _eat deathberries?"

Larkleaf looked down at her paws, and there was clear sadness in her voice when she spoke. "Silverwing was gathering herbs, and not really paying attention to where she was going. She tripped over a root, and, well… there happened to be a deathberry bush right in front of her."

Merrypaw winced. What a horrible way to die! It certainly sounded like Silverwing, though – the former medicine cat hadn't exactly been known for her attention to detail.

"If you'll excuse me, Merrypaw, I need to go and gather catmint," Larkleaf mewed, shaking her head rapidly as if trying to shake out the bad memories. Merrypaw nodded, and as Larkleaf padded away, Thornpaw returned, bounding wildly across the marshy ground.

Skidding to a stop, Thornpaw wailed, "Smolderfur didn't seem to care about Brookheart's kits at all! What kind of a father is a cat like that going to make?"

Merrypaw rolled her eyes again. Every cat in ShadowClan could tell that Thornpaw had a huge crush on her mentor, except maybe Smolderfur himself. The quiet, smoky grey tom rarely showed any kind of emotion at all, much less affection. Besides, even if Smolderfur did realize Thornpaw's feelings, he was a warrior and she was an apprentice – and that was that.

"Thornpaw," she began, choosing her words carefully, "have you ever thought that maybe Smolderfur isn't the right tom for you?"

"What?" Thornpaw screeched, drawing back in alarm. "No way! Maybe to you it just looks like a crush, Merrypaw. But I _love_ Smolderfur, and I'm going to make sure he realizes it!"

"It's a wonder he doesn't already," Merrypaw murmured. Speaking louder, she added, "Have you seen Lionpaw today?"

"Yeah, he's on border patrol with Yellowtail and Stonewing," Thornpaw replied.

"Wow… then, when my patrol was gone, almost half the Clan was missing!" Merrypaw realized. "It's a wonder ThunderClan didn't come and invade us!"

"Don't say things like that!" Thornpaw exclaimed, her fur fluffing up and her eyes growing wide with alarm. Merrypaw couldn't help but purr with amusement.

Her fur lying flat again, Thornpaw let out a sigh. "Well, at least Brookheart's kits are coming soon," she mewed. "Maybe I can convince Smolderfur to come and see them when they're born."

"Typical Thornpaw!" Merrypaw teased. "Your own mother is having more kits, and you use it as an excuse to get closer to Smolderfur!"

"Well, I _am_ looking forward to the kits too, you know," Thornpaw snapped back. "Don't forget, I was the only kit in my litter to survive!"

Merrypaw nodded sadly. "Now if only Frostpool and Stonewing would have another kit," she whispered. "It might help Lionpaw to get over Berrypaw and Clawpaw's death." Lionpaw's sister and brother had been killed in a fire only a few moons ago; since then, the once energetic oldest apprentice had become even more serious and cold than Smolderfur.

"I know!" Thornpaw exclaimed, her eyes shining. "I'll let Lionpaw adopt one of the kits as his little brother or sister! I'll bet that will make him happy!" The silver she-cat reached down to give one paw a lick of satisfaction; obviously, she thought that her idea was brilliant.

"I'm not really sure that will work," Merrypaw replied quietly. "There's no substitute for family, Thornpaw."

Thornpaw opened her mouth to reply, but suddenly stopped as the scent of three new cats emerged from the bramble tunnel. "There's Lionpaw!" she exclaimed. "I'll go tell him my idea!" She bounded off excitedly, clearly certain her idea would be a success.

Merrypaw stood and realized for the first time how tired she was after the hunt; it took most of her energy to the apprentice's' den. Like the warriors' den, it was located under a bramble bush; Merrypaw usually had no problem scrambling under it, but today, she covered herself in scratches in her attempt to get inside. Once she was finally within the comfort of the den, Merrypaw curled up in her nest of pine needles and moss. It had been a long time since she'd last had the den to herself, and within moments, she was fast asleep.

* * *

**I had fun writing this chapter! I love Thornpaw… I know it's not much, but the story needs a while to be set up. I can't jump into the action too soon, you know!**


	4. Chapter 2

**Warriors: The Darkest Season**

**Okay, so in this chapter, maybe things will start to get interesting! Thanks for reading, as always!**

* * *

**CHAPTER TWO**

Some cat pressed their nose into Merrypaw's side, prodding her awake.

"Merrypaw, wake up!"

With a groan, Merrypaw rolled over to face the cat who had woken her. The sun was about to set, and she would have preferred to sleep for the rest of the day. "Ugh, Lionpaw, what do you want?"

The light brown tom didn't blink as he looked down at her. "Stripedstar just called a Clan meeting," he informed her, then slipped out of the apprentices' den, leaving Merrypaw to fully awaken on her own. With a yawn, the brown she-cat rose to her paws and followed him towards the Speakrock, where Stripedstar spoke to his cats. The Speakrock leaned against another rock, and the small cave underneath was where Larkleaf made her den. Stripedstar was perched at the very top of the Speakrock, balancing well despite his large size, and most of the Clan had already gathered. Merrypaw looked around and spotted Thornpaw; it was no surprise that her friend had chosen to sit near Smolderfur. Instead of joining them, Merrypaw bounded over to Birdsong and Smallpaw and settled down beside her brother.

"What's going on, Birdsong?" Smallpaw whispered to their mother, but the golden and grey she-cat simply flicked his ear with her tail to silence him.

"I see that every cat is here," Stripedstar mewed. "Now then, Larkleaf has something that she would like to say." He nodded to the medicine cat and climber down from the Speakrock; Larkleaf leaped onto the rock and looked down at the rest of the Clan.

"Cats of ShadowClan," Larkleaf called. "I recently received a dream from StarClan, regarding the Gathering we will be attending tomorrow night." The golden she-cat paused, as if hesitating to continue, and then explained, "StarClan have told me that something is going to happen – something bad."

The cats of ShadowClan began to whisper to one another in shock. Lionpaw called, "Will the clouds cover the moon?"

"I'm not sure," Larkleaf admitted. "I saw Silverwing in my dream, and she assured me that we would not like what the other Clans had to say."

"This is bad," Merrypaw whispered, and Smallpaw nodded; his blue eyes were huge with fright, and Merrypaw though that he looked like he was going to be sick. Turning her gaze towards Birdsong, she saw that her mother only looked anxious, as if she were a queen and one of her kits was playing a bit too far away.

Bowing her head, Larkleaf stepped down from the Speakrock, and Stripedstar returned to its peak. He was obviously troubled by Larkleaf's news, and his grey tabby pelt was visibly bristling. "I realize that this is troubling news," he announced. "However, we cannot skip this Gathering; it is far too important to keep peace between the Clans." Stripedstar nodded down towards his deputy, Yellowtail, and began to climb down the Speakrock, letting the fluffy white she-cat take his place.

"Stripedstar wanted me to announce the names of cats attending the Gathering tomorrow," she proclaimed, her bright yellow eyes skimming the crowd of cats below. Merrypaw suppressed a shiver as the deputy's intimidating gaze swept over her, and she wondered what it would be like when such an inexplicably frightening cat was leader.

"Stonewing," Yellowtail called first. This was no surprise, as Stonewing was Stripedstar's best friend and attended most Gatherings. "Smallpaw, Merrypaw." Merrypaw was surprised to hear her name called, and she could see that her brother was, too. This would only be their second Gathering!

"Smolderfur," Yellowtail continued. Turning her head to look towards the grey tom, Merrypaw noticed Thornpaw leaning towards him, her eyes shining with delight, and held back a sigh. "Foxfang, Frostpool… and Badgerfur. That is all." Yellowtail leaped down from the Speakrock, and the ShadowClan cats began to disband.

"Merrypaw!" called Frostpool. "You should get some sleep tonight, but in the morning, would you take this moss to the elders' den?"

Merrypaw nodded, grateful for something to keep her mind off of Larkleaf's announcement. She was going to need a good distraction tomorrow – after all, it was the night of the Gathering.

* * *

The next morning, Merrypaw collected the bundle of moss and headed off to clean the elders' bedding. Smallpaw followed his sister as headed towards the four bushes that sheltered the elders within the hollow at their center. "What do you think will happen at the Gathering?" he asked, his voice quivering. "I don't think I want to go."

Merrypaw had too much moss in her mouth to reply at first, but when they reached the elders' den, she dropped the bundle and turned towards her brother. "Look, Smallpaw," she began, taking a deep breath. "You have to go. Stripedstar and Yellowtail said so, and I don't think you want to make either of them mad."

Smallpaw shook his head. "No!" he agreed. "I mean, Stripedstar is huge, and Yellowtail is just… _creepy_!"

"Then just keep quiet about it," Merrypaw advised, "or you'll be working in the elders' den for _moons_."

"I guess you have a point," Smallpaw agreed, and followed her as she picked up the moss and walked into the elders' den.

"Stormtail, Lightstorm!" Merrypaw called, putting down the wad of moss. "I came to change your bedding."

"About time," grumbled Stormtail. The grey tom was the oldest cat in ShadowClan, and with his crooked tail and gruff mannerisms, Merrypaw hated to admit that he secretly frightened her a bit.

"Oh, don't listen to him," mewed Lightstorm, her amber eyes shining with amusement. The golden she-cat had only recently joined Lightstorm in the elders' den; Merrypaw could remember hunting and patrolling alongside her, and wished that the kind cat could have been in the warriors' den when Merrypaw moved there. "Thanks for doing this, really."

Merrypaw blinked at the golden elder with gratitude. She and Lightstorm were actually kin, as Lightstorm was Badgerfur's mother, and had always been much kinder to Merrypaw than her own father had.

As Merrypaw began to replace the moss in Lightstorm's den, Smallpaw padded towards Stormtail and began to talk to him. For some reason Merrypaw could never understand, Smallpaw had formed a strange sort of friendship with the cranky old cat, and loved to hear him talk about his adventures as a warrior or sometimes even an apprentice.

"So, Stormtail," Smallpaw was mewing. Merrypaw didn't mean to eavesdrop, but there wasn't much else to pay attention to besides the moss in her claws as she worked. "Did you ever have to take care of the elders when you were an apprentice? As a punishment, I mean."

"Oh, all the time," Stormtail replied, and Merrypaw thought she caught a hint of amusement in his voice. "In fact, I remember one leaf-bare when I was told to hunt for the Clan. Well, instead, I ended up all the way in RiverClan territory!"

Merrypaw was slightly interested now. As she moved to Stormtail's nest, the moss in her jaws, she asked him, "How did you manage to do that? It's so far away!"

"It started with me chasing a squirrel across the Thunderpath," Stormtail explained, not seeming quite so prickly while engrossed in his story. "I realized I was in ThunderClan territory much, much too late, and I narrowly avoided plowing right through their camp. And after that, well… I was a young apprentice at the time, and I decided to explore for a bit. I had no idea when I started that I'd go all the way to RiverClan's island, and I surprised even myself when I found my paws on their shores!" Stormtail gave his left paw a lick, then purred with laughter at the memory. "When I finally returned to ShadowClan, my mentor, Echofall, was madder than I'd ever seen him before."

"I'll bet!" said Smallpaw, his eyes wide. "I don't really blame Echofall for punishing you."

"Oh, he didn't," replied Stormtail. "Molestar – our leader at the time – personally punished me herself."

Smallpaw cringed. "The other apprentices must have made fun of you for such a long time!"

"The warriors, too," clarified Stormtail.

Merrypaw, seeing that her task was finally done, rose to her paws. "Okay, Stormtail, I think I'm done here. Coming, Smallpaw?"

"No, I think I'll stay here and listen to more of Stormtail's stories," her brother mewed.

"Okay," said Merrypaw, and bounded out of the den. Lightstorm mewed a goodbye after her.

For the rest of the day, Merrypaw tried to put herself to work with tasks such as patrols and hunting, in an effort to take her mind off of Larkleaf's ominous prophecy. It wasn't long, however, before the full moon hung in the sky, and the ShadowClan cats attending the Gathering set off for Fourtrees.

Smallpaw walked beside his sister as they padded through their swampy territory. He said nothing, but Merrypaw could tell how nervous he was. Frostpool eventually joined them, walking on Merrypaw's other side, but Badgerfur stayed far behind. As she found herself doing quite often lately, Merrypaw wondered why her father seemed to hate her – if only Smallpaw were attending, Badgerfur would surely be walking beside him.

It didn't take as long as Merrypaw had remembered to reach Fourtrees. The ThunderClan and WindClan cats were already there, but Merrypaw could not scent RiverClan.

"I see RiverClan!" Stonewing mewed suddenly, and the other cats turned to look in the direction of RiverClan territory. Just as Stonewing had said, the RiverClan patrol was walking silently towards Fourtrees, but Merrypaw noticed that something seemed a bit strange. Their tails were lashing from side to side, and they looked quite hostile. Merrypaw saw Heartpaw, an apprentice she had met at the last Gathering, but almost didn't recognize her. Heartpaw seemed to have gone from a sweet, easily frightened ginger apprentice to a warrior ready to rip out any other cat's throat in a heartbeat.

Looking up at Stripedstar, Merrypaw saw that her leader looked slightly troubled, but he was trying his hardest not to let it show. When the RiverClan cats arrived at Fourtrees, led by their leader, Flowerstar, Stripedstar simply nodded in their direction and turned away. Stripedstar climbed to the top of the Great Rock and sat down, curling his tail around his paws; narrowing her eyes slightly, Flowerstar followed him.

Seeing that the leaders were about to speak, Merrypaw and Smallpaw hurried to find a place to sit. Finding a spot close to the Great Rock, where they could hear everything clearly, they sat down, and were soon joined by a WindClan apprentice. "Hi," he mewed, his pale grey coat almost silver in the moonlight. "I'm Shallowpaw. What are your names?"

"I'm Smallpaw," Merrypaw's brother introduced himself. "And this is my sister, Merrypaw."

"Nice to meet you," meowed Merrypaw. She was about to say something else to Shallowpaw when a yowl from the Great Rock interrupted her, and she turned to listen to the four Clan leaders speak.

The four leaders, silhouetted in the moonlight, looked so noble and brave that for an instant Merrypaw was too taken aback to remember what was going on. Stripedstar stepped forward, the first to speak.

"The prey is running quite well in ShadowClan," he announced, his voice even and his face expressionless. Merrypaw could see that he would try and keep Larkleaf's omen a secret. "Rushpaw was recently made a warrior – Rushpelt. Unfortunately, he is not attending this Gathering, as I had not expected to give him his naming ceremony so soon, and had selected the attending cats a moon in advance."

Stripedstar stepped back and nodded at Flowerstar, who did not even rise to her paws as she spoke. "Cats of all Clans," she yowled; her voice seemed to pierce the very air around them. "I'm sure that I'll regret telling you this information, but none of you should dare think that it weakens my Clan! Cats of all Clans, a cat of RiverClan… was recently murdered."

Shocked mews broke out across the clearing. "Murdered?" called a cat that Merrypaw did not recognize. "Are you sure?"

"What do you mean, am I _sure_?" Flowerstar spat. "Of course I'm sure! Flamefeather was found drowned in the river, and you ask me if I'm sure?"

"Maybe he just fell in," suggested Shallowpaw.

"Impossible!" hissed Flowerstar, her golden tabby fur beginning to rise and her blue eyes twinkling defiantly. "Flamefeather is an excellent swimmer, and there were quite obvious bite marks in his neck."

"Just a suggestion," Shallowpaw murmured to himself.

"Lizardstar, you may speak," Flowerstar spat out scornfully.

ThunderClan's leader stood, his black fur almost invisible in the night. "ThunderClan almost lost a cat as well," he admitted. At her last Gathering, Merrypaw had grown to admire Lizardstar's honesty and willingness to share information, though she was sure that his own Clan must have though him weak because of it. "Brightpaw was originally supposed to attend this Gathering, but he had to stay with our medicine cat after being mysteriously attacked from behind by a cat he was never able to identify."

"Did he get the scent?" asked a WindClan she-cat sitting nearby. "Maybe we could identify if it was a rogue, or…" The she-cat trailed off, but Merrypaw knew what she was about to say: _Or if it was a Clan cat, we'll know which Clan._

"Unfortunately, no," Lizardstar replied. "This cat disguised their scent heavily with many different smells. And either way, he was never able to turn around and see their face – though he did walk away with several of their claw-marks in his flank."

Lizardstar sat and nodded towards WindClan's leader, Dreamstar. The tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat stood, and simply mewed, "One of our elders is dead."

"I don't mean this in a bad way," Smallpaw whispered, "but why is that worth reporting? Elders are old; that's why they're called elders. They all die eventually."

"That's how I felt when I first heard the news," Shallowpaw whispered back. "Just listen."

"This was no ordinary death, however," Dreamstar continued. With a pause, she explained, "Her throat with covered in scratches, as if someone had tried to claw it open, and her hind leg had been bleeding excessively. We believe it was intentional – we're _sure_ it was."

"Do you think these attacks are all connected?" Foxfang called from the other side of the clearing.

"They might be," Lizardstar agreed.

"I know a RiverClan cat didn't do it!" Flowerstar added. "Therefore, it's possible that Flamefeather, Brightpaw, and the elder were all attacked by the same cat – one who moves between the Clans."

"We'll have to keep an eye out for any cat who could be responsible," Stripedstar mewed.

"We're posting guards in front of our nursery and elders' den," put in Dreamstar. "I advise the rest of you to do the same."

Merrypaw's head was spinning, and she felt like her entire body was about to collapse. Could there really be a murderer among the Clans?


	5. Chapter 3

**Warriors: The Darkest Season**

**CHAPTER THREE**

The ShadowClan cats trudged back to camp in silence, occasionally whispering to one another fretfully. When they approached the bramble tunnel that led to their Clan's camp, Smallpaw, who hadn't spoken since saying goodbye to Shallowpaw, leaned over and whispered in Merrypaw's ear. "What are we going to do?" he asked.

"What do you mean, we?" Merrypaw whispered back. "We're apprentices!"

The entire party was silent until the last of their cats had pushed their way through the tunnel. Every cat who had not attended the Gathering, not including the heavily pregnant Brookheart, was crowded around near the tunnel's mouth, waiting urgently for news of what had happened.

"What was it?" Thornpaw blurted when the entire Gathering party had returned. "What was the bad thing that happened?"

Quietly, Stripedstar answered, "Everyone, come to the Speakrock, and I'll tell you."

The entire Clan followed their leader as he made his way to the Speakrock. Stripedstar leaped atop the rock and began to tell the Clan what had happened; he didn't need to speak loudly, as usual, or even yowl to get their attention. The entire ShadowClan camp was deathly quiet.

"Flowerstar and Dreamstar both said that one of their cats was murdered," Stripedstar explained. "A ThunderClan cat was attacked as well, but he couldn't see the face of the culprit, or even get their smell."

There was a brief moment of silence, and then shocked whispering broke out among the ShadowClan warriors. Above the noise, Rushpelt shouted, "Stripedstar! This could be a problem!"

"_Could_ be?" replied Stripedstar in shock. The rest of the Clan fell silent.

"Well," Rushpelt explained, "the only Clan not attacked was ShadowClan, so they'll probably suspect us."

"You could have a point," Stripedstar agreed. "I fully trust all of my warriors and know that they would do no wrong – but the other Clans don't know that."

"Just because we live in brambles and hunt at night, we're all dark-hearted," Thornpaw spat, and a few other cats murmured in agreement. "It's so unfair!"

"What are we going to do?" called Stonewing.

"First, we're going to post guards by the nursery and elders' den," Stripedstar explained. "One of the cats killed was an elder, and so I wouldn't put it past this cat to murder queens and kits."

"Don't bother with the elder's den; we can take care of ourselves!" spat Stormtail, who was sitting furthest away from the Speakrock. Lightstorm, sitting a few pawsteps in front of him, turned at looked at him in shock.

Stripedstar's voice was completely level as he replied, "When the fox came, could Sparrowheart take care of herself? Could Moonkit and Finchkit?" Stormtail looked taken aback, but the leader continued to speak. "I've heard the story so many times. Sparrowheart was your mate, and her kits were your kits. No one expected them to be killed. Do you think that another fox would simply ignore the elders' den out of respect?"

When Stormtail didn't reply, Stripedstar turned back to his Clan. "For the first watch of the nursery, I'd like Stonewing and Foxfang." Foxfang leaped up, his green eyes glowing ferociously. Brookheart was the dark brown tom's mate, and so Foxfang must have been relieved that he would be able to watch over her.

"And for the elders' den," continued Stripedstar, "I'd like Smolderfur and Birdsong."

Thornpaw leaped into the air a few times, trying to catch her leader's attention. "Can I go, too?" she mewed.

"No," the large tabby tom replied. "If the elders got more cats to watch them, then that would be unfair to Brookheart."

"But there's only one of her," protested Thornpaw, "and there are two elders. Besides, while Smolderfur's guarding the elders, who's supposed to be my mentor?"

Stripedstar looked down at her, his amber gaze seeming to pierce the very air. "You will train with Badgerfur and Smallpaw," he instructed her. "And no more arguments about it, or I'll make you clean up after the elders instead!"

Thornpaw immediately fell silent.

"Now, we'll need a border patrol, to make sure no strange cats can be scented on out territory," Stripedstar decided. "Badgerfur, Smallpaw, Thornpaw, and Rushpelt, will you do that for me?"

Badgerfur nodded and ran out the bramble tunnel, the rest of his patrol following.

"Any remaining cats may go take a nice, long rest," the leader concluded. "I know we all need it." With that, he leaped down from the Speakrock and walked towards his den beneath the roots of a large oak tree.

* * *

Merrypaw was only just waking up in the morning when some cat's paws slammed into her side – hard. She shot up immediately, terrified. Had the murderer come for her next? Unsheathing her claws, she turned around to face her attacker.

"Hi!" mewed Thornpaw.

"Thornpaw?" hissed Merrypaw, not pulling her claws back in just yet. "What in StarClan's name are you doing? I thought you were the killer!" Merrypaw knew that every hair on her pelt was bristling. When would Thornpaw ever learn to _think_?

"Sorry," her friend apologized sheepishly. "I just wanted you to know that we couldn't scent anything suspicious last night."

"And that's worth scaring me halfway to StarClan?" Merrypaw murmured, rising to her paws and shaking the dust from her fur. A bit of moss from her nest had caught in her tail; she sat back down and turned to groom it.

"I'm really sorry," Thornpaw said again. "But that's not all! Brookheart's kits are being born!"

Merrypaw leaped to her paws, the moss forgotten. "Why didn't you say that first?" she demanded, and the two apprentices raced off to the nursery.

As Merrypaw ducked under the thornbush that concealed the nursery hollow, she saw that Smallpaw, Lionpaw, and Foxfang were already inside. Larkleaf was crouched over Brookheart, who was writhing about and screeching in pain.

"Try to remain calm," Larkleaf whispered into the queen's ear. "Just remember – it's almost over."

Merrypaw watched, both horrified and fascinated, unable to look away. After what seemed like a lifetime, Larkleaf raised her head and announced, "That's all! Brookheart has had two she-cats and two toms."

Foxfang pushed his way past the four apprentices and bounded towards his mate, touching noses with her. He then bent down to touch each of his kits – a light brown she-cat, a black tom, a silver tabby tom, and a tiny grey she-cat with white paws.

"I'm so happy," he purred. "So happy…"

Thornpaw turned to Lionpaw. "So, what do you think of my plan?"

"What plan?" rasped Brookheart, raising her head exhaustedly.

"Well," Thornpaw admitted, looking down at her paws. "I sort of asked Lionpaw if he'd like to adopt one of our kits as a little sibling, since his littermates – well, you know. He said he'd think about it."

"Why did you tell him that without talking to us first?" Foxfang demanded. Thornpaw was about to reply, but Lionpaw cut her off.

"Actually," he meowed. "…I like them all. Do I have to pick one?"

Thornpaw and her parents looked at the light brown apprentice in shock. This had been the first time in quite a while that Lionpaw had shown any kind of affection or warmth.

Smallpaw nudged Lionpaw with his nose. "I like the gray she-kit," he whispered. "But the tabby tom is cute, too."

"Well, erm…" Foxfang seemed to be struggling for words as he tried to address Lionpaw. "I suppose that you can come by and play with them as much as you want – when they're old enough, of course."

"Thank you!" mewed Lionpaw, his blue eyes sparkling happily. Merrypaw was amazed at the sudden change in his attitude, and wondered if the Lionpaw she'd known before would come back soon – the fun, carefree, happy Lionpaw she'd loved to play with when they were both kits.

"I think I'll go find Smolderfur," Thornpaw decided. "I want him to see this."

The pale grey she-cat started to bound away, but Brookheart called weakly after her, "Don't you want to know what I've named them?"

Thornpaw stopped immediately. "Oh, yes!" she exclaimed, turning around and running back into the nursery. Merrypaw, Smallpaw, and Lionpaw all stepped closer, just as eager to know the kits' names as Thornpaw.

Brookheart nodded towards the light brown she-kit. "I've named this one Pebblekit," she told the other cats. "The black tom is Duskkit. Both of them were named for their pelt color. This one," she continued, flicking the tabby tom with her tail, "is Owlkit, because his stripes remind me of feathers. And the last is called Rosekit – because her paws are the same color as a rose I once saw."

"Wow," Thornpaw whispered, her eyes sparkling. "I really need to show Smolderfur now!" She turned and streaked out of the nursery, and was gone almost before Merrypaw could tell that she was planning to leave.

Lionpaw and Foxfang were both looking at each kit adoringly, and Merrypaw could see that Lionpaw would be the best "big brother" the kits would ever know. Smallpaw had leaned down beside Pebblekit and was talking to her, almost as if expecting a reply from the newborn she-kit. Brookheart was clearly exhausted, but Merrypaw could hear her faintly purring.

Thornpaw approached alone, her pelt bristling slightly and an angry expression on her face. Merrypaw guessed that she hadn't been able to convince Smolderfur to leave his post at the elders' den, and slipped out of the nursery before she had to face her friend's wrath.

As she padded towards the fresh-kill pile, hoping to find a lizard or a frog, Merrypaw couldn't help but wonder why the mood in camp had changed so abruptly. Sure, four new kits had been born into ShadowClan, and any season before, that would have been a wonderful thing. But now, with a murderer somewhere among the Clans…

Was Merrypaw the only one who could see what terrible danger these kits were in?


	6. Chapter 4

**Warriors: The Darkest Season**

**CHAPTER FOUR**

The next day, Stripedstar and Yellowtail were still trying to organize the ShadowClan cats and get them as prepared as possible in case the murderer decided to strike. Larkleaf was put in charge of gathering as many herbs as possible, and patrols were sent out left and right almost constantly. Smallpaw had been put on a hunting patrol at about sunhigh, but Merrypaw couldn't even remember which cats gone with him, as over half the Clan seemed to be missing.

When the border patrol returned, consisting of Stonewing, Smolderfur, Thornpaw, and Foxfang, Yellowtail immediately announced another. "The murderer won't just politely sit back and wait for us to catch them," she mewed. "We need to be on constant watch. Merrypaw, Frostpool, you two haven't been on a patrol today, so why don't you take this one? Lionpaw and I will join you."

Yellowtail called to Lionpaw, who was in the nursery with Brookheart and her kits. As the light brown tom approached, Merrypaw could see how reluctant he was to leave. She glanced at the nursery and saw that Badgerfur was guarding it, and so knew that Lionpaw had nothing to worry about.

"Well then, shall we go?" Yellowtail mewed, breaking into a run and bounding out of the bramble tunnel. Lionpaw followed close behind, while Frostpool and Merrypaw ran a few foxlengths after them. Ignoring the thorns that scratched her as she crashed through the tunnel, Merrypaw resolved to do her best on this patrol. She didn't just have warriors and apprentices to watch out for now, she had four little kits who hadn't even opened their eyes yet. They were completely defenseless, and Merrypaw knew that Lionpaw would blame himself if anything ever happened to them.

The patrol began by checking Carrionplace. Merrypaw had to admit that it would be a good place for a killer to hide, but the stench nearly made her pass out, and the ShadowClan cats had to be on the watch constantly for rats. She was very relieved when they left; she'd heard stories of ShadowClan hunting in Carrionplace during hard times, and hoped that she'd never have to do so herself.

Next, the patrol checked along the Thunderpath. After checking the eastern side of the path, they turned left and checked along the border with ThunderClan. Suddenly, Lionpaw stopped in his tracks, sniffing the air. "I smell ThunderClan cats!" he called, and the rest of the patrol halted to check. As she inhaled, Merrypaw could immediately tell that Lionpaw was right.

_They smell like squirrels and Twoleg monsters, _she thought, wrinkling her nose. _ShadowClan smells much better!_

There was a rustling in the undergrowth on ThunderClan's side of the border, and then a patrol stepped out of the trees. Merrypaw recognized the ThunderClan deputy, Lightningpelt, and also the warrior Mintheart, whom she'd met at her first Gathering. With them were two other warriors that Merrypaw couldn't identify.

"Hello," said Lightningpelt, dipping his head to the ShadowClan patrol. "We're keeping an eye out for the killer, too." While the light golden tom was quiet and respectful, the other warriors with him didn't seem to share his kindness. Mintheart's dark grey fur was sticking out everywhere, and her blue eyes glinted fiercely. The white tom next to her had narrowed his green eyes suspiciously, while the tortoiseshell she-cat seemed nervous and frightened.

"Lightningpelt," mewed the white tom coldly. "What if, instead of looking for the murderer, they were actually planning to creep across the border and take one of our warriors from us?"

The golden deputy glared at him. "Don't be so rude, Snowstorm," he commanded. "Remember, this has affected all the Clans."

"_Except _ShadowClan," pointed out Mintheart in a hiss. "My apprentice was injured by this killer, but where are their casualties? And look at poor Tansyfern," she added, flicking her tail towards the tortoiseshell. "They're making her a nervous wreck just by standing there!"

"That's just the way she is," replied Lightningpelt, without even looking at Mintheart. Merrypaw found herself drawn in by the ThunderClan deputy's quiet, exotic-sounding voice, and wondered if he would be able to use that wonderful voice to persuade his warriors. "Don't forget, she was acting the exact same way as we passed RiverClan territory, and she's nervous at every Gathering."

"Well, thanks for boosting my self-confidence," Merrypaw heard Tansyfern mutter, but if Lightningpelt had heard, he pretended not to. Mintheart still looked angry, but her fur was beginning to lie flat again, and Snowstorm had closed his eyes, appearing to try and calm himself. Looking at the always-calm Lightningpelt, who had managed to subdue his hostile patrol somewhat, Merrypaw couldn't help but think that Lizardstar had made a very good choice for deputy.

"I'm sorry that my warriors bothered you," the golden deputy apologized, dipping his head once again. "We'll be on our way now."

The ThunderClan patrol turned and walked back into the forest. Tansyfern was beginning to break into a run, and Snowstorm and Mintheart shot glares back at the ShadowClan patrol, but Merrypaw was thankful that at least things hadn't come to a fight.

Lionpaw looked at Yellowtail. "Any chance of that patrol being a _murder _patrol?" he asked.

Yellowtail shook her head. "Lightningpelt is a cat I respect," she answered. "I've known him long enough to be sure that he wouldn't kill. Besides that, I've met Tansyfern, who still seems to believe the nursery stories about dark-hearted ShadowClan. She's no threat to us."

"Mintheart and Snowstorm jump to conclusions too quickly," Frostpool deducted. "Tansyfern is prejudiced, and that makes her afraid. If I had to guess, I'd say that they were an authentic patrol, just like us."

Yellowtail nodded. "Good reasoning, Frostpool. It's possible they could be faking, trying to make us believe that they suspect us when in fact it was their doing, but I felt that this was not the case."

Merrypaw shuddered. What did Yellowtail mean by "felt?"

"Should we move on?" pressed Lionpaw. "We still haven't checked by the Burnt Sycamore."

"Right," agreed Yellowtail. "Let's go."

"Wait!" called Frostpool, and Yellowtail, who had begun to walk away, stopped. "Lionpaw has something in his fur." The tortoiseshell-and-white warrior padded up to her son and began to lick his pelt, much to his obvious horror.

"I'm not a kit anymore, Frostpool!" the light brown apprentice insisted, pulling away. Merrypaw couldn't help but purr with amusement. Ever since the birth of Brookheart's kits, Lionpaw had opened up his heart again and become more like the friend she'd used to play with.

"Well, let's get moving, then," mewed Yellowtail, bounding away across the boggy ground. Lionpaw, Frostpool, and Merrypaw followed, and the patrol headed towards the Burnt Sycamore, an ancient tree that had been destroyed by lightning. Not even Stormtail could remember a time when the tree was whole – Merrypaw had heard the elder tell of when he snuck off and tried to climb the burnt trunk as a kit, or when Echofall used to train him there to hunt.

Merrypaw and Lionpaw both padded towards the tree, sniffing around its burnt trunk for any signs of activity. The only cat scent they could locate was ShadowClan – more specifically, that of Badgerfur and Smallpaw, who must have hunted there recently.

"There's nothing here!" Frostpool called to Yellowtail, who mewed back in agreement. The patrol met up by the Sycamore, and all agreed that it was time to return to camp.

"You know, Lionpaw," Yellowtail said to her apprentice as they began to walk back to ShadowClan's camp, "I've been thinking lately that perhaps you're almost ready for your warrior ceremony."

Lionpaw stopped in his tracks. "Really?" he mewed in astonishment, staring up at his mentor with bright eyes.

Yellowtail nodded. "You've been my apprentice for seven moons now, and even in the beginning, you've never failed to impress me with your skill. I'll speak to Stripedstar when we return to camp, and if he agrees with me, I'll give you your assessment tomorrow."

"Congratulations!" Merrypaw exclaimed, bounding forward to touch noses with her friend. Lionpaw ducked his head in embarrassment, and Merrypaw thought how glad she was that he was finally showing emotion again.

"Well done, my kit," purred Frostpool, bending down to lick her son on the head. Lionpaw ducked away, hurrying after Yellowtail as she approached the bramble tunnel. Merrypaw purred with laughter and picked up her pace to match his.

Suddenly, Yellowtail stopped. Lionpaw ran into her, and Merrypaw collided into him. Frostpool was the only cat who managed to save herself, skidding to a stop just before crashing into Merrypaw. "What's wrong, Yellowtail?" she called.

The ShadowClan deputy slowly turned to face them, her yellow eyes wide with horror. Without saying a word, she stepped to the side, allowing the rest of the border patrol to see what lay just in front of the tunnel entrance.

Merrypaw gasped. It was a dead body – the body of a cat.

Frostpool wailed in horror, while Yellowtail continued to stare silently. Merrypaw heard Lionpaw whispering, "No… no…," sounding as if locked within a nightmare. But Merrypaw was absolutely sure that she was one feeling the most anguish and horror, for this wasn't the body of just any cat.

For what seemed like moons, Merrypaw couldn't find her voice, or even think of any words to say if she'd had it. Her mind was struggling for something to say, something to do. Her heart pounded faster as the scent of blood flooded into her nostrils. The dead cat's originally tiny body looked even smaller, and his black pelt was matted with blood.

Finally, Merrypaw found her voice again, and was able to sum up all of her feelings in a single word.

"Smallpaw!" she wailed, dashing forward and hanging her head sadly over her brother's body.

* * *

***sniff* SMALLPAW!!! This chapter… I hope you were ready for it, I really do. I feel bad about killing him off so soon, but I felt it was necessary… *sniff* Expect an update very soon. I plan to write an interesting fifth chapter.**


	7. Chapter 5

**Warriors: The Darkest Season**

**CHAPTER FIVE**

Merrypaw sat hunched over the body of her brother, at a loss for words. Why would any cat want to kill a sweet and kind apprentice like Smallpaw?

Suddenly, she heard a groan from below. Opening her eyes with surprise, she looked down. Her brother's flank rose slowly, and he groaned again. Behind her, Lionpaw breathed, "He's alive!"

"Just barely," corrected Yellowtail. "We should get him back to camp – quickly."

Merrypaw nodded. She and Lionpaw carefully lifted Smallpaw's front paws onto their shoulders, while Yellowtail and Frostpool did the same with his hind legs. The four of them silently wriggled their way through the bramble tunnel, careful not to drop the black apprentice as they entered camp. Once safely within, they gently laid Smallpaw on the ground. "Larkleaf?" called Yellowtail.

"She's still gathering herbs," called back Thornpaw, bounding forward to meet the patrol. "What's the matter – oh no!" she gasped, forcing herself to a halt as she saw the injured apprentice.

"He's still alive," Lionpaw mewed. "But without Larkleaf around… how long can he last?"

Yellowtail looked down at Smallpaw, a hint of concern in her yellow eyes. "Not long," she replied gravely. "I'll go get Stripedstar." The fluffy white she-cat hurried off towards Stripedstar's den, while more warriors were coming out to see what was wrong.

"Oh, Smallpaw!"

Birdsong came flying across the hollow, finally stopping to bury her nose into her dying son's fur. Merrypaw watched in aguish as her mother began to lick Smallpaw's bloodied black fur, as if he were a kit who had fallen into a mud puddle.

Badgerfur padded up behind her, deep sorrow shining in his eyes. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, touching Birdsong's tail with his flank. These words confused Merrypaw. Even if Badgerfur and Birdsong had stopped being mates, Smallpaw was Badgerfur's son, too. "I'm sorry" were words used to console a Clanmate, not words to say when your own kit was dying.

At that moment, Yellowtail came back with Stripedstar. "Larkleaf still isn't back," she was explaining, "and I don't think he'll make it. I was wondering... if you would perform the ancient ceremony?"

"Ancient ceremony?" asked Merrypaw, looking up in confusion and pricking her ears with curiosity. What ceremony was the deputy talking about?

Beside Merrypaw, both Thornpaw and Lionpaw looked up with interest as well. "What ceremony are you talking about?" inquired Thornpaw, sounding quite puzzled.

"Yellowtail is my mentor, and she never told me about any secret ceremonies," put in Lionpaw.

"It is a rarely used ceremony, because it so seldom needed," explained Stripedstar. "However, it is used to give a dying apprentice his warrior name as he ascends into StarClan."

Deep despair pierced into Merrypaw's every bone. So that was it, then. Smallpaw was going to die.

Suddenly, the brown apprentice noticed something very peculiar, so strange that it almost made her forget her sadness. Out of the corner of his eye, her father was glaring at her with obvious hostility. Merrypaw's eyes widened in astonishment. Badgerfur couldn't think that _she_ was responsible for this… could he?

"I'd like to wait until everyone is back in camp, however," Stripedstar was saying; Merrypaw turned her attention back to the tabby leader. "Rushpelt and Stonewing are hunting, and Larkleaf is gathering herbs."

At just that moment, Larkleaf emerged from the bramble tunnel, her jaws filled with herbs. When she saw what was happening, the golden-and-white medicine cat immediately dropped the herbs and rushed towards her Clanmates. "What happened?" she demanded. Frostpool turned to her and quietly began to explain what the patrol had seen.

"Is there anything you can do to save him?" Merrypaw begged. "Anything?"

Larkleaf shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid that Stripedstar is right – Smallpaw will be joining StarClan tonight."

Birdsong let out an anguished yowl, and Merrypaw was filled with sadness. Never again could she play with her brother, never again could she try to outdo him.

The elders had joined the crowd at this point, and Brookheart was watching from the nursery. "I'm going to miss that Smallpaw," Stormtail meowed sorrowfully. "I was planning on telling him the story of how I got my crooked tail, but I guess I'll have to wait until I join StarClan now."

There was a rustling in the brambles, and Stonewing and Rushpelt returned, each holding a frog and Rushpelt holding a squirrel that must have run over the ThunderClan border. As soon as they'd deposited their fresh-kill and were told what was going on, Stripedstar announced for every cat to come to the Speakrock. Merrypaw, Badgerfur, Songbird, and Thornpaw lifted Smallpaw, who groaned quietly, and helped each other to carry him until they reached the Speakrock's base, where they gently set him down. The movement of his flanks was much smaller, and he no longer made any sort of noise.

Once every cat but Brookheart, who did not want her kits to see the ceremony, had gathered at the Speakrock, Stripedstar leaped to the top and cleared his throat. Once again, there was no need for him to yowl; every cat was already at attention.

"I ask my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice," the huge tabby tom began, and Merrypaw had to choke back another yowl of despair. "He has learned the warrior code, and has given up his life in service to his Clan. Let StarClan receive him as a warrior."

Merrypaw was horrified and afraid. What if Smallpaw died before the ceremony had finished? Would it be too late to give him his warrior name?

"He will be known as Smallsun," Stripedstar concluded. "Although he was tiny, his brightness was visible to all, and his warmth spread into each of our hearts." As he drew the ceremony to a close, the ShadowClan leader bowed his head in grief.

Looking at her brother, Merrypaw could see that Smallsun was not quite dead yet, but that he would be soon. Her sadness was nearly overflowing now. What had Smallsun done to deserve this?

There was a moment of silence; no cat dared chant the dying warrior's new name. Finally, Yellowtail called to Stripedstar, "I was planning to give Lionpaw his assessment tomorrow, if you agreed that he was ready," she explained. "But now that… this has happened, I suppose that it's a bad time."

Stripedstar nodded. "I agree," he replied. "Lionpaw is ready to be made a warrior, but it's just too dangerous to give assessments outside of camp at the moment – I'm sure you can all see why. Therefore, there will be no more assessments until the murderer is captured."

"Or dies of old age," Merrypaw heard Smolderfur muttering. The grey tom was usually so silent that she had never really realized how cynical he could be.

"It is true, however," continued Stripedstar, "that Lionpaw is ready, and I don't want to deny him a ceremony. Therefore, we'll just have to trust our judgment for the time being – mentors, if you believe your apprentices are ready, I'll just have to trust that they're ready. Yellowtail, Lionpaw, please come forward."

Lionpaw brushed past Merrypaw as he bounded towards the Speakrock, following after his mentor as she did the same. They both climbed to the top to stand beside Stripedstar, who began another warrior ceremony – a normal one this time.

"Yellowtail," he mewed. "Are you satisfied that your apprentice is ready to become a full warrior of ShadowClan?"

"Of course," replied the deputy coolly. "He is one of the cleverest and most loyal cats in all of the forest."

Stripedstar nodded towards her, then turned to face the rest of the Clan. "I, Stripedstar, leader of ShadowClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn."

Turning to face Lionpaw, the leader continued, "Lionpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and serve this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," Lionpaw replied, betraying no excitement whatsoever, only a serious determination.

"Then by the power of StarClan I give you your warrior name." Despite the circumstances, Merrypaw couldn't help but feel a twinge of excitement. What would Lionpaw's warrior name be like? It had to be something that reflected his bravery and loyalty to ShadowClan.

"Lionpaw," mewed Stripedstar. "From this moment, you shall be known as Lionblood. Your courage is unmatched, and you would defend ShadowClan with your life – it's as if the blood of a lion flows in your veins." Lionblood looked pleased with this explanation of his new name. "StarClan honors your courage and your loyalty, and we welcome you as a full member of ShadowClan."

"Lionblood! Lionblood!" chanted the new warrior's Clanmates. Merrypaw even heard Brookheart chanting from the nursery, and wondered if her kits realized that their "big brother" was now a warrior.

"You will keep a silent vigil tonight," Stripedstar mewed to Lionblood. "As for Smallsun…" he added, looking down at the base of the Speakrock, where the now unmoving body of Merrypaw's brother lay.

Wordlessly, Stormtail and Lightstorm arose and padded towards the rock.. Merrypaw knew that they were about to bury her brother, and a mixture of sadness and anger began to burn in her chest, like nothing she'd ever felt before. Between Badgerfur's suspicious glares and what had happened to Smallsun, it seemed that her entire life had changed in only a day.

She had to find the killer, and fast. Whoever they were, they'd just made it personal.


	8. Chapter 6

**Warriors: The Darkest Season**

**CHAPTER SIX**

Merrypaw couldn't get any sleep that night. Everything was suddenly going wrong in her life – her brother was dead, one of her best friends was a warrior, and – possibly most shocking of all – her father seemed to suspect that she'd had something to do with Smallsun's murder. Not only that, but Badgerfur hadn't behaved as a father who'd just lost his own kit; he had handled Smallsun's death as if it were only the death of an unrelated Clanmate. Merrypaw had always known that he didn't love her as much as a father should, but he'd always acted as if he loved her brother.

Merrypaw didn't realize that Thornpaw was also awake until the light grey apprentice whispered, "It feels so empty in the apprentices' den now, without Lionpaw and Smallpaw – I mean, Lionblood and Smallsun."

"I agree," Merrypaw whispered back. "We'll probably be warriors be the time Brookheart's kits are apprenticed, so I suppose we'll just have to deal with it for now."

In the moment of silence that followed, Merrypaw wondered if she should tell Thornpaw about Badgerfur's strange behavior. She wondered if her best friend would be able to take it seriously, or if she would again demand another addition to the warrior code. After thinking it over, she decided to tell Thornpaw everything. After all, Thornpaw was her best friend, and Smallsun's death had left her in as much shock as the rest of the Clan. Ever since his and Lionblood's warrior ceremonies, Merrypaw hadn't once heard the silver-grey she-cat crack a joke or say anything at all about Smolderfur.

"Thornpaw?" she mewed quietly, turning over to face her friend.

"Yeah?" Thornpaw replied.

"After Smallsun… well, you know……… Badgerfur acted really strangely."

"What do you mean?" asked Thornpaw.

"Well," Merrypaw explained, "He said 'I'm sorry' to Birdsong, as if Smallsun weren't his own son. And then… he kind of glared at me, as if he held me responsible."

"That is weird," Thornpaw agreed. "You don't think he thinks you did it, do you?"

"I don't know." Merrypaw shook her head. "Everything's just been so strange lately… I keep hoping that this is a nightmare and that I'll wake up soon, but I know it's true. Smallsun is gone forever," she meowed, her voice cracking, "and Badgerfur hates me even more than I thought."

After another silent moment, Merrypaw mewed, "What, no joke? No comments about how something's missing from the warrior code?"

"Merrypaw, I know a serious situation when I see one," Thornpaw replied, her voice surprisingly grave. "Now, have you ever given Badgerfur any reason to think that you'd do something like this?"

"Of course not!" Merrypaw protested, a little too loudly. "I've always tried my best to follow the warrior code!"

"Shhh, you'll wake the warriors!" hissed Thornpaw. Even in the dim light, Merrypaw could see her green eyes suddenly light up, as if she'd had an idea. "Hey, Merrypaw, you want to find the killer, don't you?"

"Of course!" agreed Merrypaw. "Now that my brother is a victim, all I want is to know who did this to him."

"Well, why don't we sneak out and look for them?" Thornpaw suggested.

Merrypaw's dark green eyes stretched wide with horror. "You can't be serious!" she spat. "Thornpaw, that is the single stupidest idea you've ever had!"

"Oh?" Thornpaw mewed, narrowing her eyes. "And why's that? We can find the murderer, turn them in, and then you'd have revenge for Smallsun. A pretty good plan, if you ask me."

"It's dangerous out there!" Merrypaw insisted. "The murderer is still out there somewhere, and besides, Foxfang, Stonewing, and Smolderfur are guarding camp. They're watching every possible entrance and exit, so we couldn't get out even if we wanted to."

"Well, I guess you're right," Thornpaw murmured. "Hey, can I ask you something? Why didn't you ask Smallsun who attacked him?"

"Because he was too hurt to answer," replied Merrypaw. "We couldn't get a scent, either – and Brightpaw, the ThunderClan apprentice who was attacked, was ambushed at an angle so that he couldn't see who did it. This killer's no mouse-brain, that's for sure."

"Well," Thornpaw sighed, "I guess I'll try to get some sleep. Good night, Merrypaw."

"It's not a good night," Merrypaw replied, then curled up and relaxed, letting sleep claim her.

* * *

The next morning, Merrypaw woke up to find that Thornpaw was gone. Panicking, she rushed outside. "Thornpaw?" she called.

"I have her changing the elders' bedding," Smolderfur called from near the fresh-kill pile. "Stonewing caught her trying to sneak out last night."

Merrypaw sighed – it really was the same old Thornpaw, after all. "What did that mouse-brain do?" she asked, bounding up to stand beside the smoky grey tom.

"She came out of the apprentice's den very late at night and told Stonewing she had to make dirt," Smolderfur explained. "When she didn't come out of the dirtplace, Stonewing thought that the murderer had gotten her, so he reluctantly followed her in and caught her trying to scramble out over a bush."

Merrypaw sighed again. "Sometimes, I just can't believe her," she said.

"Me either," Smolderfur agreed, shaking his head with disgust. "I know she's trying her best to be a good warrior, but sometimes, she acts like such a_ kit_!" Picking up a snake, he turned and padded back to the warriors' den.

_Well, now I know how Smolderfur really feels about her, _Merrypaw thought, taking a frog from the pile. She knew her friend would be crushed if she told her, but at the same time, she couldn't help but think that maybe Thornpaw deserved it. Having fun was one thing, but Thornpaw needed to learn that life couldn't be taken as one big joke.

"Merrypaw!" Frostpool called, running to meet her apprentice. "Hunting patrol! You up to it?" Merrypaw swallowed a bite of frog and nodded. "Great," mewed Frostpool. "Lionblood and Rushpelt are coming, too." More quietly, she added, "I wasn't sure if you'd feel like getting out, after yesterday."

Merrypaw shook her head. "I'm fine," she told her mentor. "I'm really sad, of course, and confused. But I'm fine." What she didn't add was the reason for her confusion – her father, Badgerfur.

"I'll go tell the others," said Frostpool, turning and walking back towards the camp entrance. Merrypaw followed, and once she'd joined the rest of the patrol, the four ShadowClan cats hurried out into the forest.

Merrypaw's last hunting patrol had been the day before the Gathering – the day before she'd first learned of the menace threatening all four Clans. The memory still made her pelt stick on end, but she tried to shake it off as she raised her muzzle into the air, sniffing for signs of prey.

Suddenly, she froze. "ThunderClan!" she exclaimed in surprise.

"What?" hissed Rushpelt. He, Frostpool, and Lionblood all sniffed the air as well, and Rushpelt flinched back, his lip curling. "You're right!" the black and white tom exclaimed. "What are those squirrel-chasing fleabags doing on our territory?"

"There was more than one of them," Frostpool mewed. "You don't think…" She trailed off, not daring to finish the sentence.

Lionblood shook his head. "I don't think so," he said. "Frostpool, you told me about how Brightpaw was attacked from behind, so that he never saw his attacker's face. If there was more than one cat involved, that wouldn't have been possible."

"Whatever this is, I don't like it," Rushpelt growled. "Should we get ready to drive them off?"

Merrypaw sniffed the air again, trying to pick out a scent she recognized. Finally, she pinpointed one distinct scent among three – a familiar one. "That's Lightningpelt, the ThunderClan deputy!" she realized.

"Why would you know that?" Rushpelt asked suspiciously.

"Because I'm not stupid," Merrypaw retorted. "I've been to two Gatherings now, haven't I? I caught his scent both times, and I remembered it."

"Lionblood, Merrypaw and I ran into him when we went on border patrol with Yellowtail," Frostpool added calmly, looking at Rushpelt warningly. The black and white warrior opened his mouth, probably to let out a sharp reply, then seemed to think better of it and clamped his jaw shut.

_Just as quick to jump to conclusions as when he was an apprentice, _Merrypaw thought.

"They're coming!" Lionblood warned, tasting the air again.

Merrypaw turned in the direction the scent was coming from. She could now hear the pawsteps of the three ThunderClan cats, and then Lightningpelt came into view, flanked by the warrior Snowstorm and a blue-grey tom with white paws.

"Briarcloud?" Frostpool murmured with surprise, glancing at the bluish tom walking to the ThunderClan deputy's left. "I suppose they can't mean any harm if they've brought their medicine cat…"

"Maybe StarClan spoke to him," put in Frostpool.

"Or maybe they didn't, but he's planning to say that they've called all of ShadowClan cold-blooded murderers," Rushpelt hissed. Frostpool shushed him and flicked his flank sharply with her tail.

The ThunderClan cats padded forward and came to a stop before the ShadowClan patrol. "Please forgive us for trespassing on your territory," Lightningpelt mewed, dipping his head apologetically. Once again, Merrypaw found herself taken in by his warm, quiet voice.

"What exactly are you doing here?" hissed Rushpelt, his fur beginning to bristle.

Lightningpelt looked up, his blue eyes shining – with what emotion, Merrypaw couldn't tell. "We would like to speak with Stripedstar," he meowed.


	9. Chapter 7

**Warriors: The Darkest Season**

**Yay, more Lightningpelt in this chapter! :D It's probably only me, but I lust wuv him :) Then again, he is my character… so yeah.**

* * *

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

Merrypaw was a bit taken aback. Of course she hadn't suspected Lightningpelt of doing anything wrong, especially since he'd brought his medicine cat – but why did he need to speak to the leader of ShadowClan?

Frostpool, being the oldest of the ShadowClan cats on the patrol, stepped forward and dipped her head in greeting to the ThunderClan patrol. "Follow me," she mewed, turning and leading them back towards camp. Merrypaw and Lionblood followed once the ThunderClan cats were past, and Rushpelt brought up the rear, grumbling to himself the entire time.

Once the cats arrived back in ShadowClan camp, it seemed that every ShadowClan cat immediately turned their attention to the patrol. "What's going on?" Merrypaw heard Stonewing mew to Badgerfur, who only shrugged.

"ThunderClan!" exclaimed Thornpaw, creeping closer and staring at the strange cats in surprise. "Their deputy and the medicine cat are here! And… some warrior, too!"

"The name is Snowstorm," growled the white ThunderClan tom menacingly, and Thornpaw backed away quickly, her eyes wide with fright. Larkleaf, who was sitting near the camp entrance, watched on, her green eyes reflecting her concern. ShadowClan cats began to flood towards the entrance from all over camp, crowding the area.

"Merrypaw, is it?" Merrypaw looked up at Lightningpelt in surprise. She hadn't known that the golden tom knew her name. "Would you fetch Stripedstar for me, please?" the deputy meowed quietly. Unable to find words to say, Merrypaw simply nodded and dashed towards Stripedstar's den, pushing her way past several warriors as she went.

"Stripedstar?" she mewed, sticking her head into the den. "Lightningpelt, the ThunderClan deputy, is here. He wants to talk to you about something."

At first Merrypaw wasn't sure where the leader was, although she could smell him. Suddenly, she glimpsed his amber eyes shining in a dark corner, and then his huge grey tabby body was slinking past her. Frazzled, she stood in place for a moment before turning to follow him.

Stripedstar padded towards the ThunderClan cats, Merrypaw close behind. Rushpelt was staring up at Lightningpelt suspiciously, his black and white pelt beginning to stand on end. _Don't glare at him like that, _Merrypaw found herself thinking, irritation making her pelt prickle. _He's not here to do anything wrong._

"Stripedstar," mewed Lightningpelt, who then turned his head to glance at the ShadowClan medicine cat. "And Larkleaf, I'd like to speak to you as well." Larkleaf padded over to stand beside her leader, and Merrypaw wondered what was going on.

"What is it, Lightningpelt?" asked Stripedstar, a touch of wariness in his voice.

"Lizardstar sent me here to ask if your medicine cat has received any signs from StarClan," the golden deputy explained.

"I have spoken with Amberstar, our previous leader, in my dreams," put in Briarcloud, his bluish ears twitching slightly. "She said that she does not know who the murderer is, and neither do any other former ThunderClan cats."

"What?" blurted Merrypaw, immediately regretting her outburst when a leader, a deputy, two medicine cats, and a warrior from another Clan were all suddenly staring at her.

"Merrypaw, you're only an apprentice. I think that you should stay out of this," warned Stripedstar, and Snowstorm flicked his tail impatiently, his green eyes glaring at her.

"I-I'm sorry…" Merrypaw stammered, her pelt growing hot with shame.

Lightningpelt laid his tail on Stripedstar's shoulder. "Stripedstar, it's alright." Turning to Merrypaw, he mewed, "What is it, Merrypaw?"

"Well…" began the dark brown apprentice, growing more embarrassed by the second. "I mean, why wouldn't StarClan know? I thought they knew everything."

"They do know a lot of things that we don't," Larkleaf told her, "but not _everything_."

"But… if they're watching over the forest all the time, shouldn't they be able to see who the killer is?" Merrypaw couldn't imagine StarClan as easily distracted. Maybe they just didn't care.

Briarcloud shrugged. "That's what I thought too, but apparently not. I'm not sure why they haven't seen who the killer is. Larkleaf, have you seen anything?"

Larkleaf shook her head. "ShadowClan's ancestors seem to know nothing as well, regrettably," she informed him.

Lightningpelt sighed. "I suppose we'll have to ask Clearwater and Milkberry, then," he said, referring to the medicine cats of WindClan and RiverClan. Merrypaw could hear a trace of defeat in his voice, and couldn't help but feel a bit bad for him. He and his patrol would have to go to all the territories and ask all the medicine cats – and what if all of the answers were the same?

"Before we go," Briarcloud added, turning to face Stripedstar. "Stripedstar, I feel the need to warn you that many of our warriors suspect ShadowClan of sheltering the murderer… seeing as none of your cats have been killed yet." Upon hearing his words, Merrypaw felt a mixture of fury at their suspicion and sadness at the loss of her brother.

"Well, they have nothing to suspect anymore," Stripedstar mewed quietly. "One of our apprentices was killed yesterday." In any other situation, telling such a thing to another Clan's patrol would be admitting weakness – almost like saying to the other Clan, "We're a bit more vulnerable now, so please attack us!" However, in this horrifying time, this darkest season, every cat had the same weaknesses, and each Clan shared the same enemies.

"I am truly sorry for your loss," mewed Lightningpelt, dipping his head, and Merrypaw could tell that he was sincere. "We'll be going now, and we will alert our Clan that another cat has been lost."

The ThunderClan patrol turned and disappeared through the bramble tunnel almost before Merrypaw could blink. "This is getting even more serious," she whispered to herself, wondering how the Clans would ever catch the cat responsible for so many cold-blooded murders – especially when StarClan themselves couldn't help.

"I wish it was closer to the half-moon," mewed Larkleaf sadly. "If only the other medicine cats and I could travel to the Moonstone, perhaps we'd meet a StarClan cat who knows the truth."

Stripedstar nodded. "I suppose one of us should have asked Briarcloud about that while he was still here. After all, he is going to be visiting the other medicine cats… maybe we can still catch him. Stonewing?"

The grey tom rushed forward at his leader's call, his nose twitching eagerly like a rabbit's upon his white muzzle. "Yes, Stripedstar?"

"Go see if you can catch up with Briarcloud. Ask him if it would be alright with him to travel to the Moonstone a bit sooner than usual this moon."

Stonewing nodded and raced through the bramble tunnel as quickly as he could. Merrypaw hoped that he was able to find the ThunderClan medicine cat before he was back on his own territory, or even in another Clan's. All four Clans needed answers, and they needed them as soon as possible.

"We never actually caught anything on that hunting patrol," Frostpool spoke up. "Is it okay with you if we go back out, Stripedstar?"

Stripedstar nodded. "It's fine. Just be careful." He began ordering the cats that had convened near the entrance away, leaving only Larkleaf and himself there to wait for Stonewing's return. Frostpool's patrol headed back into the forest, with Rushpelt once again walking at the back while Lionblood and Merrypaw padded side by side in the center.

"That was kind of… strange, wasn't it?" Lionblood mewed to Merrypaw. "That Lightningpelt… he's one weird cat. I think he's kind of scary, in a strange way."

"I guess you could say that," Merrypaw replied, although she secretly found the light golden tom fascinating. "I've never seen cats from another Clan come into our camp before."

"Me, either," agreed Lionblood. "And I hope it never happens again!"

"If it does," put in Rushpelt from behind them, "I'll make sure they don't live through it next time!"

"You'll do no such thing!" Frostpool mewed over her shoulder. "You'd be just as bad as the murderer if you did a thing like that."

"Fine, but they still wouldn't leave with all their fur," Rushpelt grumbled.

For a brief moment, Merrypaw wondered if Rushpelt actually _was _the murderer. _No, _she told herself, shaking her head. _He might be a bit prickly and prejudiced, but he's barely older than I am. And anyway, I know he wouldn't kill a cat from his own Clan!_

"I smell frog," whispered Frostpool, dropping into a crouch. Slinking through the shadows of the pine trees, the white she-cat silently sprang through the air and landed with a _squish_ on the marshy ground, her claws sinking into a small green body. At the same time, Merrypaw caught the scent of snake and turned to follow it.

By the time the hunting patrol returned to camp, they had collected two frogs, a lizard, Merrypaw's snake, and a juicy young blackbird that had flown just low enough for Rushpelt and Lionblood to quickly ambush from both sides. Thornpaw ran up to meet them as they went to put their prey on the fresh-kill pile.

"Stonewing found Briarcloud!" the silvery apprentice mewed as Merrypaw laid down the snake she'd been carrying. "The medicine cats are going to meet tomorrow night and go to Highstones."

"Good," said Lionblood, setting down the lizard and blackbird in his jaws. "Maybe now we'll finally have some answers."

Merrypaw knew that Lionblood wanted the killer captured in order to protect Brookheart's new kits. She was surprised at how quickly the four little kits had caused his personality to revert to normal, changing him back into the kind cat he'd been before his brother and sister had died. If these kits were killed now, what would Lionblood become? Merrypaw didn't want to think about it.

"I certainly hope so," added Frostpool, placing her frog on the pile. "This needs to stop, and it has to stop soon – before more cats are killed."

Merrypaw nodded in agreement, but she couldn't help but feel worried. If none of ThunderClan's or ShadowClan's ancestors knew what was happening, what were the chances that any StarClan cat did?


	10. Chapter 8

**Warriors: The Darkest Season**

**Sorry this took so long… I forgot, really, so sorry. :(**

* * *

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

The next day was relatively uneventful, given the circumstances. Larkleaf set out for Highstones that night, along with the other medicine cats, and Merrypaw wondered what the outcome would be. Did RiverClan's and WindClan's ancestors know the answers that ShadowClan's and ThunderClan's seemed to lack? Were StarClan just waiting for the medicine cats to come to the Moonstone before speaking? Only time would tell.

Everything seemed to be slowly getting back to normal in the ShadowClan camp. Only just that morning, Thornpaw had rambled on about how handsome and powerful Smolderfur was, while Merrypaw had pretended to listen. Lionblood was spending all of his time with Brookheart's kits, while Badgerfur was ignoring Merrypaw just as much as ever. The most noticeable difference in camp, however, would never go away.

It was clear that both Birdsong and Merrypaw were still grieving Smallsun very much, and Birdsong especially showed her sadness often. Merrypaw wondered if her mother would ever again be truly happy, or if her son's death had ruined her entire life. The brown apprentice thought that if Birdsong kept this up, she'd probably be sent to the elders' den before she knew it.

Merrypaw tried to take her mind off of the recent, bloody events, but it was extremely hard, especially when her own brother had been victimized. Even when she could manage to think of things other than her littermate's death, she was usually trying to decide who the culprit was, and always found herself unable.

That night, as she lay down in her nest within the sheltering branches of the apprentices' den, Merrypaw went back over every cat that could have been responsible, trying to decide who she wanted to suspect for now. The first cat her mind turned to was ThunderClan's deputy, Lightningpelt.

Thornpaw insisted that Lightningpelt, with his mysterious ways, was an obvious suspect, but Merrypaw refused to listen to her. Every time she thought of the ThunderClan deputy, she felt strangely calm and peaceful. Sure, he was mysterious, but in a _good _way.

_And anyway, _Merrypaw thought, _Thornpaw shouldn't be so quick to judge. If there's any cat who seems a little suspicious, it's Smolderfur_. She immediately felt guilty for thinking that way about a Clanmate, however, and so scratched that thought from her mind.

Snowstorm was the next cat that came to mind. He seemed extremely hostile and unfriendly, but in the end, Merrypaw decided that that simply made him like Rushpelt, and that the killer would probably be a bit more discreet anyway. _If they are a Clan cat, _she thought bitterly, _they're probably pretending to be nice and friendly so that no one suspects them_.

That ruled out Snowstorm's Clanmate, Mintheart, as well as several other cats. Merrypaw wouldn't even begin to consider the cats higher in rank, like the slightly edgy Flowerstar or the suspiciously open Lizardstar. It would be disrespectful – and besides, she didn't think that a leader could get away with murder, anyway. Someone would know, whether it was a Clanmate or StarClan.

Suddenly, Merrypaw had a horrible though. What if it was_ Badgerfur_?

She didn't want to believe it, but right now, her father was the most suspicious cat she could think of. Why else would he hate her? Why else had he glared at her after Smallsun's death? For that matter, why else wasn't he grieving his son like a father should? His only words to Brookheart had been, "I'm sorry" – hardly what a father would say when his son was freshly murdered.

Merrypaw's heart felt like it was twisting into knots. Could it be true? Was her father really a killer? When she finally drifted to sleep, her only dreams were fitful nightmares, filled with images of Badgerfur stalking her, pouncing, stalking…

The next morning, Merrypaw and Thornpaw woke up early. Thornpaw turned to Merrypaw and asked, "Do you think we should go see what StarClan told Larkleaf?"

Merrypaw nodded without thinking. The truth was, if Badgerfur really was the murderer, she didn't even want to know. However, she wasn't about to tell her horrifying suspicions to Thornpaw. Not only would her best friend decide it really was Badgerfur without proof and probably also insist that hedgehogs had begun to fly, the thought that Badgerfur was capable of such horrible things was too much for Merrypaw herself to bear. She would never confirm these fears by speaking them aloud, even if she was wrong in the end.

Thornpaw scrambled out of the bramble bush, and Merrypaw followed. The two apprentices made their way to Larkleaf's den, where the tabby medicine cat was sorting herbs. "Larkleaf! Larkleaf!" called Thornpaw, skidding to a halt only just before she landed in and scattered a pile of catmint. Merrypaw came to a stop more slowly behind her.

"What is it, Thornpaw?" asked Larkleaf, looking up from her supply of dock leaves.

"What did StarClan say to you, Larkleaf?" the silver apprentice asked, her light green eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"It's not a ShadowClan cat," Larkleaf said calmly. "StarClan also told Clearwater that they're absolutely sure it's not a WindClan cat. Briarcloud and Milkberry didn't get any answers, though, and neither did their apprentices, Blazepaw and Daypaw."

"So that means it's either ThunderClan or RiverClan," mewed Merrypaw, relief flooding over her. If the killer wasn't a ShadowClan cat, then they couldn't be Badgerfur.

"I knew it was Lightningpelt!" Thornpaw meowed excitedly, bouncing from one paw to the other excitedly.

"It is not!" Merrypaw exclaimed. Why couldn't Thornpaw leave Lightningpelt alone when it was obvious that he was a good cat?

"Well, why do you –"

"It could have been a rogue as well," pointed out Larkleaf, sounding just as collected as ever, "or even a very aggressive kittypet."

"Well, I guess you're right," Thornpaw admitted, sounding a bit disappointed. Merrypaw rolled her eyes as her friend's ears and tail drooped.

"Hey, Merrypaw! Thornpaw!"

Merrypaw turned to see Smolderfur standing nearby. "We're going on a border patrol!" he called. "Do you want to come?"

"Um, sure!" Merrypaw yelled back. Thornpaw nodded enthusiastically, suddenly looking cheerful again. _What a mouse-brain, _thought Merrypaw.

Thornpaw bounded forward excitedly, nearly crashing into her mentor and then nuzzling his shoulder affectionately. Smolderfur looked disgusted and quickly stepped a few pawsteps away, almost causing Thornpaw to crash to the ground. "Stonewing is coming, too," he informed the apprentices, looking only at Merrypaw as he said this.

"Great," Merrypaw meowed. She rather liked Stonewing. He was a very kind cat, and when both of them wanted a piece of fresh-kill, he always let her choose first. Merrypaw could see why he was Stripedstar's best friend – he was caring and loyal, and would probably become leader someday.

"We might run into a hunting patrol while we're out," Smolderfur warned them. "Yellowtail, Badgerfur, Foxfang, and Birdsong left a little while ago, but they should be coming back soon."

"Birdsong?" mewed Merrypaw with surprise. "Well, I'm glad she's getting out again, at least. I was afraid Stripedstar would put her in the elders' den if she didn't start being a bit more active."

Smolderfur merely nodded. Thornpaw, who still seemed a little annoyed at being nearly tossed to the ground, said nothing.

"Hey, guys!" called Stonewing from somewhere nearby. Merrypaw looked around and finally spotted the grey tom running towards them. "I'm sorry I'm late," he panted as he approached the rest of his patrol. "Brookheart asked me to get a herb from Larkleaf for her."

"Is something wrong?" Thornpaw asked, her voice filled with shocked concern.

"No, everything's alright," Stonewing reassured her. "Your mother just needed a little help getting her milk to flow, that's all."

"Wow," Thornpaw replied. "I didn't even know that happened. Having kits sounds like a lot more work that I'd realized."

Stonewing nodded. "It is. When Frostpool and I first had Lionblood, Clawpaw, and Berrypaw… well, they were Lionkit, Clawkit, and Berrykit back then. Lionblood and Berrypaw were always getting into mischief, and Clawpaw scratched Frostpool all the time." Sadness shone in Stonewing's blue eyes. "I only wish that he'd been able to become a warrior – he and Berrypaw would have both been so good at it."

"It's okay," Smolderfur mewed, much to Merrypaw's shock. "I'll bet they've already had their warrior ceremonies in StarClan."

Merrypaw realized that she was staring at the smoky grey warrior with disbelief, and she wasn't alone – Thornpaw and Stonewing were equally surprised.

"Well, erm…" stammered Stonewing, forcing himself to look away from Smolderfur's surprisingly indifferent face. "I suppose we'd better go on that patrol now."

Stonewing padded out of the bramble tunnel, and Smolderfur followed. Thornpaw dropped back to join Merrypaw as the two apprentices reached the tunnel. "Well, that was… odd," she whispered.

Merrypaw nodded in agreement. "I wonder what else will happen today?"

As the two of them slipped out of camp, Merrypaw realized that she didn't particularly want that question to be answered.

* * *

**Next chapter will be a really interesting one, promise! Everything will start coming towards its conclusion soon – but that doesn't necessarily mean the story is almost over, it's just approaching its second half. Who do you think the killer is? Tell me who you suspect in your review, please! I'd really like to know – but I won't tell you if you're right or not!**


	11. Chapter 9

**Warriors: The Darkest Season**

**I really need to quit forgetting that I'm in the middle of a story. With actual humans waiting on the next chapter.**

…**Sorry.**

* * *

**CHAPTER NINE**

"Do you smell anything, Merrypaw?"

"Not yet, Thornpaw – but keep quiet! If the murderer is here, we want to_ catch_ him, not drive him away!"

Merrypaw raised her nose into the air once more, sniffing for any signs of intruders. She and the rest of the patrol were determined to finally find the cat who had claimed the lives of so many warriors, and they were all working as hard as possible to do so. Thornpaw, Merrypaw, and Stonewing were searching for unfamiliar scents, and Smolderfur, the best climber in ShadowClan, had carefully placed himself upon a high pine branch, hiding himself amongst the needles and scanning the forest for suspicious cats.

"I can't find anything at all!" Thornpaw called to Merrypaw. At exactly that moment, Smolderfur shot down from the pine tree and raced towards the others. "I saw something!" he yowled. "It's by the Burnt Sycamore."

"You could see that far?" Thornpaw mewed, her eyes stretching in amazement.

"No time to talk," Smolderfur snapped. "Let's go, everyone!" The grey warrior dashed away, followed by the other three members of his patrol.

Merrypaw's heart raced within her chest as she and her Clanmates ran across ShadowClan territory. Could they finally be about to catch the murderer? And if so, who was it? She could hardly contain her excitement at the thought of capturing the cat who had murdered her brother.

As the patrol approached the Sycamore, Merrypaw thought that she began to see the shape of a cat up ahead. Raising her muzzle into the air, she sniffed to see if she could catch the scent. She could smell blood, and…

Merrypaw froze. The second thing that she smelled nearly made her heart stop.

"It's… it's…" she stammered. Thornpaw looked at her questioningly as they continued to run, but Merrypaw could not force herself to say the name. Thornpaw would see soon enough.

Finally, the patrol got close enough to the strange cat that everyone could see who he was. He stood, blood matting his pelt, leaning over the body of the ThunderClan warrior Mintheart.

The entire patrol came to a stop. The intruder seemed to not have noticed them yet, but Merrypaw could now see, to her relief, that Mintheart was still alive and seemed to be better off than Smallsun had been before dying. As Merrypaw stood there, trembling and afraid, Stonewing calmly stepped to the front of the patrol and addressed the murderer.

"Lightningpelt!"

Hearing Stonewing call his name accusingly sent Merrypaw's head reeling, and she thought she would collapse. The ThunderClan deputy turned to face them, the bloodstained pelt of his face sending shivers down Merrypaw's spine. The dark brown apprentice could feel the fur beginning to rise on her shoulders – not in anger, but in fright.

"Hello, Stonewing," Lightningpelt greeted them, as if nothing unusual was taking place. "Smolderfur, Thornpaw, Merrypaw," he added, nodding to each ShadowClan cat in turn.

"What… what are you doing?" Merrypaw choked out suddenly. "Mintheart… she's…"

"She'll be all right," Lightningpelt assured her. For the first time, however, the golden deputy's calm voice did not reassure Merrypaw that everything would be okay.

"Merrypaw," Stonewing mewed, sending her a warning glance. Merrypaw nodded and stepped back, and Stonewing turned back to Lightningpelt. "What are you doing on our territory, and with a dying cat? You have admit, it seems a bit suspicious."

Lightningpelt nodded. "It does."

"This cat is weird," Thornpaw hissed to Smolderfur. Her mentor said nothing, but Merrypaw could tell that he agreed. Stonewing spoke again, and she turned her attention back to him and Lightningpelt.

"Well, are you going to explain?" the ShadowClan warrior asked. "Or are you just going to stand there, collecting dust, while we wait for an explanation and your Clanmate dies?"

Lightningpelt looked at Stonewing; his gaze was oddly piercing in that moment, and Merrypaw shivered. "I cannot say for certain that you will believe what I have to say," he mewed quietly. "However, I can assure that – as I'm sure you hear from the other Clans all the time – this is not what it appears to be."

"Oh, you mean you haven't killed Mintheart, then?" Thornpaw growled. Smolderfur gave her a sharp look and a flick with his tail, but she continued on. "I mean… if it wasn't you, then why are you covered in blood?"

"I will tell you my story," Lightningpelt replied. "Everyone, please listen to what I have to say.

"Mintheart is my kin, and I would never harm her. My pelt is bloody as a result of protecting her."

Merrypaw felt better at hearing this explanation, although she still wasn't sure who to believe.

"Mintheart and I were hunting together when a ShadowClan cat appeared by the border and asked Mintheart to come and speak to Stripedstar," Lightningpelt continued. "I was confused, seeing no reason why she should go, but she agreed despite my suspicions. I was still suspicious, and I followed them to make sure nothing was wrong.

"This ShadowClan cat led Mintheart to the Burnt Sycamore, but no further. When she asked where Stripedstar was, the ShadowClan cat attacked her viciously, and for no apparent reason. I immediately leaped from my hiding place and pulled off the attacker, managing to chase them away after a heated battle – I'm guessing that they're probably off tending to their wounds now, so that the rest of ShadowClan won't see them."

"Okay," hissed Smolderfur. "Let's say I believed you – which I'm definitely _not _saying that I do. If you chased away the murderer – who, apparently, is one of my Clanmates – you must have seen their face."

Lightningpelt nodded. "I did."

"If that's true," Stonewing meowed, "then you and Mintheart are the only ones to know the killer's true identity."

"Well, who was it?" Thornpaw put in.

Lightningpelt looked away. "I know that if I told you, you would not believe my story."

"We can check the facts and see if your story makes sense," Stonewing pointed out. "Please, tell us."

"All right," Lightningpelt mewed. He turned and picked up Mintheart gently by the scruff. Around the fur of his kin, he called back to the ShadowClan patrol, "If I were you, Stonewing, I'd do something about that medicine cat of yours – she is becoming much too vicious."

With those ominous words, Lightningpelt carried Mintheart across the border into ThunderClan territory. A huge gust of wind blew leaves through the air, and the entire patrol was silent.

* * *

**Be honest – you did _not_ see that coming. What will happen next, I wonder?**


	12. Chapter 10

**Warriors: The Darkest Season**

**Back to fast-ish updates, finally.**

* * *

**CHAPTER TEN**

The ShadowClan cats were quiet for several moments.

"…Guys?" Thornpaw finally mewed. "Did he just say that… Larkleaf is the killer?"

Stonewing answered her uneasily. "I… _think _that's what he was trying to say."

"But she's our medicine cat!" Merrypaw exclaimed. "It _can't_ be her!"

The more she thought about it, though, the more it made sense. If Larkleaf really was the murderer, she would have lied about what StarClan said to her at the Moonstone. It would be extremely easy for her to cover up her crimes, because everyone would believe what she said, no matter what. She had been missing from camp, supposedly gathering herbs, when Smallsun had been found, almost dead… and it would be easy for a medicine cat to lure others into her trap, because everyone would believe her, no matter what.

But… but she was the medicine cat! And if she really was responsible for all the murders, why hadn't StarClan told anyone?

"Well, if we ask her, it's not like she'll confess and offer to share fresh-kill before we banish her from the forest," pointed out Smolderfur. "We have to find some way to get proof."

Merrypaw cautiously crept forward, sniffing at the spot where Mintheart had been lying. "I can smell a little bit of Larkleaf's scent," she reported. "Very fresh – just as fresh as Mintheart's."

"Why didn't she cover it?" Smolderfur wondered.

"She was probably going to come back and cover it later," Stonewing reasoned. "It wouldn't surprise me if she was out getting dung right now."

"Gross," Merrypaw heard Thornpaw murmur.

"Well, we do have proof now… but we can't leave and get Stripedstar," Merrypaw mewed. "Larkleaf may come back, and…"

"Even if she is no better than the dirtiest of rogues, she can't face three of us at once," Smolderfur hissed.

"Merrypaw, would you go and retrieve Stripedstar, please?" asked Stonewing. Merrypaw nodded and hurtled back in the direction of camp, praying that she wouldn't run into Larkleaf along the way. She didn't even want to think about what would happen if she ran into the murderous medicine cat while all alone…

Running as fast as she could, Merrypaw reached camp faster than she'd thought possible. "Stripedstar!" she screamed as she burst through the bramble tunnel. "Stripedstar, come quick! We've found the killer!" Several cats looked up and mewed in shock, then began whispering among themselves, but Merrypaw tried to pay them no mind.

"You've _what_?" Lionblood exclaimed, bounding towards her from across camp. "Merrypaw, who is it?"

"You'd never believe me if I told you," Merrypaw replied. "I need to tell Stripedstar first, though!"

At that moment, Stripedstar came running towards Merrypaw and Lionblood. "Merrypaw, did I hear right?" he called. "Did you really discover the killer's identity?"

"I did," Merrypaw answered with a nod. "I mean, we did. See, we found a ThunderClan cat hurt on our territory. Lightningpelt was there too, and we thought he did it, but he told us what really happened, and his story seems to be true. He took the injured cat home, and we found the scent of the cat that he said did it, so we think he's telling the truth."

"This sounds serious," Stripedstar mewed. "I'll go get Yellowtail, and then we'll go inspect the scent."

"Can I come, too, please?" Lionblood asked.

"All right," agreed Stripedstar, "but that's it." Raising his voice, he mewed to the other ShadowClan cats, "Do you hear that, everyone? Lionblood, Yellowtail and I are going back with Merrypaw, but no one else is to come. Foxfang will be in charge of camp until we return."

Stripedstar went and fond Yellowtail, and then the small group set off, back towards the Burnt Sycamore. Once they arrived at the destroyed tree, Stonewing padded towards Stripedstar and quietly began to explain the situation, using a voice so low that Merrypaw could only hear some of what he was saying. As Stonewing continued to talk, Stripedstar's eyes grew continuously wider, until he finally jumped backwards, letting out a screech of "_What?_"

Stonewing nodded solemnly. "I'm afraid that Lightningpelt's story seems to be true."

"Well, Lightningpelt is still fairly young, for a deputy," Stripedstar protested, seeming at a loss. "Larkleaf has been training her whole life as a medicine cat – someone who looks out for the good of the Clan! Honestly, Stonewing, which do you think is more likely to be a liar?"

Stonewing shook his head. "I'm sorry, Stripedstar," he mewed. "I know that you would like to trust your medicine cat, but I'm just not sure if you can anymore – or even if you should."

"But… wouldn't StarClan have warned me if my medicine cat was really…" The ShadowClan leader seemed unable to finish his sentence.

"Maybe they couldn't," Stonewing suggested. "Or maybe – somehow – they don't even know."

"But…" Stripedstar's ears flattened and his tail drooped suddenly. "…Stonewing, I just don't know what to believe."

"We didn't know what to think either," Thornpaw mewed cautiously. "We… we were all scared, Stripedstar."

Smolderfur padded towards his leader, stopping about a foxlength away. "Stripedstar, it may be true that we have no proof, but we have what could be considered evidence, and so –"

"Evidence of what?"

Merrypaw and the others turned in the direction of the newest voice. Not far away now stood a beautiful golden-and-white tabby, a few crimson stains apparent on her coat.

"Larkleaf!" Thornpaw gasped, drawing back. The silver she-cat's fur began to rise up, and Merrypaw could feel her own pelt doing the same.

Stripedstar shook his head, seeming to try and clear it, then took a step forward. "Larkleaf!" he called. "Answer this question – did you or did you not abuse your authority as medicine cat to commit several violent crimes across the Clans?"

"I'm a medicine cat," Larkleaf called back, beginning to pad towards her Clanmates. Merrypaw's heart now leaped with fear as the medicine cat she'd once looked up to drew closer by the second. "And even if I did do these things, I wouldn't admit to them, now would I?"

Merrypaw had never heard Larkleaf sound so sinister before, and it frightened her horribly. There was no longer any doubt in her mind that Larkleaf was, in fact, the killer. As the golden tabby drew closer still, Merrypaw could suddenly scent a horrible stench. Looking down at Larkleaf's legs, Merrypaw could see that the medicine cat had coated her paws in fox dung. _To hide her scent! _she thought, horrified. _Stonewing was right!_

"Explain the stains in your coat!" Stripedstar yowled, his voice shaking but ferocious all the same. "And the dung on your paws!"

"Can't accidents happen?" Larkleaf mewed, now close enough to speak to the patrol without yelling. "Maybe I fell. Maybe I accidentally stepped in some dung on my way back to camp."

"Or maybe you're a dirty criminal," hissed Thornpaw.

"Larkleaf, come to me," Stripedstar commanded, and Larkleaf did so. Wrinkling his nose with disgust, ShadowClan's leader bent down and sniffed her pelt. "Just as I thought," he reported, looking up. "I can smell ThunderClan on her fur."

"Well, I was by their border, and…"

"I'll check," Merrypaw interrupted, cautiously creeping closer. She stopped in her tracks for a moment, the scent of dung overpowering her, then bravely continued on, finally stopping to check the scent of Larkleaf's pelt.

Dashing back to Thornpaw's side, Merrypaw wailed in horror, "It _was _Larkleaf! She has Mintheart's scent all over her – and Lightningpelt's too!"

Some cat yowled behind her, and she turned around just in time to see Larkleaf leaping towards her, claws extended.


	13. Chapter 11

**Warriors: The Darkest Season**

**Starting school tomorrow, so updates will probably be slower. Anyway, it seems that everyone suspected Badgerfur and Lightningpelt… well, I'll admit, they were good suspects, but I have plans for Badgerfur, and I just love Lightningpelt too much to make him the bad guy! So what will happen next? Let's find out…**

**

* * *

**

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

_What am I going to do? _thought Merrypaw desperately. There was no time to dodge, and she wouldn't begin to know how to fight back against a ruthless cat like Larkleaf. _This is the end, _she told herself, squeezing her eyes shut and waiting for the impact.

The impact never came.

Merrypaw opened her eyes, confused, and saw Smolderfur, Stonewing and Stripedstar holding Larkleaf against the ground. "Let go of me!" she spat, reaching up in an attempt to claw Stonewing in the face. He jumped back quickly, and Yellowtail immediately took his place before Larkleaf could escape. Lionblood stood nearby as well, probably for the same reason that Yellowtail had been.

After a few moments of silence, Thornpaw whispered, "Well, I guess we have proof now." Merrypaw nodded in agreement, at a loss for words.

"What are we going to do with her?" Stonewing asked Stripedstar. Merrypaw noticed with a start that Larkleaf was now strangely calm, and couldn't help but think that something was wrong.

"Well," Stripedstar replied, "I really hate to say this, but we can't exactly let her go free, so…"

Something was definitely wrong.

"Look out!" Merrypaw screeched. At that moment, Larkleaf shot out all her paws in every direction at once, her claws sheathed. Each one of the cats holding her down was hit and released their grip, and Larkleaf darted towards the ThunderClan border in a split second. Lionblood and Stonewing tried to give chase, but she was faster than them and made it over the border quickly.

"Even if she is the most dangerous cat in the forest, we'd cause too much trouble by going over the border," Lionblood mewed dejectedly. "After all, a ThunderClan patrol might see us and start a fight, and then we'd never catch her anyway."

Stonewing nodded. "I think the best thing to do is go back to camp for now."

"I agree," Stripedstar mewed. "I have a plan, but I can't tell you until every cat in ShadowClan can hear me. Let's return to camp."

* * *

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather by the Speakrock for a Clan meeting!"

Merrypaw's heart beat faster as nearly every cat in ShadowClan began padding towards the Speakrock, anxious to hear what their leader had to say. They had all been extremely curious when the patrol had returned, as every cat in the camp knew by now that the murderer's identity had finally been discovered. Stripedstar had not let the patrol members speak about what had happened, as he insisted that he had some important business to take care of and so needed to call a Clan meeting anyway. Merrypaw and Thornpaw sat with Birdsong as the very last cat arrived and the Clan meeting began.

"Now, as all of you know, we have discovered the identity of the murderer," Stripedstar began, but was quickly interrupted by Rushpelt.

"Hey, where's Larkleaf?" the black and white warrior called. "Shouldn't she be here for this? I don't see her anywhere."

Thornpaw and Merrypaw shared a worried glance as Stripedstar continued to speak. "Yes, the killer's identity is about to be revealed, and no, Larkleaf isn't here… because she was the murderer all along."

Before the ShadowClan leader had even finished his sentence, shocked yowling broke out among the gathered cats. Only the cats who had been there when Merrypaw was attacked remained silent, exchanging knowing looks.

"How can this be?" Foxfang protested. "Larkleaf once saved my life! She helped Brookheart give birth to my kits!"

"_She _was the one who killed my son?" Birdsong wailed. "No, this can't be! It simply _can't _be!"

In all the confusion, Merrypaw scanned the crowd until she found Badgerfur. He was staring at her once again, but this time he did not seem angry or suspicious. Instead, he looked… sad, and maybe even sorry.

Stripedstar yowled loudly, and the rest of the Clan gradually fell silent. "Now," the massive tabby leader mewed, "I know that we are all in shock, but Larkleaf has escaped into ThunderClan territory, and there are a few things that must be taken care of before any cat can try to catch her."

"She's still on the loose," whispered Birdsong, her voice shaking. "Oh, this is horrible…!"

"First, I realize we will need to select a new medicine cat," continued Stripedstar. "I'm sure that StarClan will send a sign telling me who he or she should be, and I will ask the medicine cats of the other Clans to help in their training.

"Next, I would like to ask Smolderfur and Frostpool permission to make their apprentices warriors."

Merrypaw's eyes widened, and she looked at Thornpaw, who seemed equally surprised.

"You see," Stripedstar explained, "when Larkleaf's crimes were discovered, Merrypaw and Thornpaw were there the entire time. Merrypaw was even attacked by Larkleaf, although we were able to stop her before she even had a chance to do any harm."

"Oh, you poor thing!" exclaimed Birdsong, who leaned down and began to lick Merrypaw all over. Merrypaw didn't try to wrench away; the day had been far too long, even though not much time had passed at all, and she was exhausted.

"You have our permission," Smolderfur called.

"They deserve to be warriors," added Frostpool.

Stripedstar nodded. "Before these apprentices become warriors, there is one last thing I would like to say. Later today, I will send out a patrol to speak with the other Clan leaders. We need to have a Gathering, and we need to have it now – this absolutely cannot wait until the next full moon."

Several cats mewed in agreement, and Merrypaw could see why. With Larkleaf on the loose, there was no time to waste. Every Clan had to know as soon as possible.

"Now… Thornpaw, Smolderfur, Merrypaw, and Frostpool," called Stripedstar. "Come forward, please."

Despite the circumstances, Merrypaw couldn't help but feel excited as she joined her mentor and walked towards the Speakrock. Thornpaw and Smolderfur walked beside them, getting to the rock just a little bit fast. As Smolderfur and his apprentice climbed the Speakrock to stand beside Stripedstar, Merrypaw felt a twinge of happiness for her friend, but wondered if even the recent events could possibly have made Thornpaw even a little more mature.

"Smolderfur," Stripedstar began. "Are you satisfied that your apprentice is ready to become a full warrior of ShadowClan?"

"Yes," mewed Smolderfur quietly. Thornpaw's eyes sparkled with admiration as she stared up at the dark gray warrior, and Merrypaw rolled her own eyes at her friend's silliness.

Stripedstar nodded in acknowledgement of Smolderfur's decision. "I, Stripedstar, leader of ShadowClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn."

Thornpaw was obviously having trouble keeping still as her warrior ceremony unfolded. "Thornpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and serve this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do!" Thornpaw exclaimed, giving a short jump of excitement.

"Then by the power of StarClan I give you your warrior name." Thornpaw squeaked in excitement, and Merrypaw listened intently, wanting to hear her best friend's new name as it was spoken for the first time.

"Thornpaw," Stripedstar began. "From this moment, you shall be known as Thorndancer. With your energy and stamina, you will surely dodge all enemy attacks, like a leaf dancing in the wind. StarClan honors your spirit and your eagerness, and we welcome you as a full member of ShadowClan."

Thorndancer bowed her head, and Stripedstar licked her shoulder. She and Smolderfur climbed down from the Speakrock, and Merrypaw and Frostpool stepped up. Merrypaw was extremely nervous – what would her warrior name be? She hoped it wasn't a name she would hate, like Merryscar, or a name that made no sense, like Merrytail.

Stripedstar looked at Frostpool. "Frostpool, are you satisfied that your apprentice is ready to become a full warrior of ShadowClan?"

"I am," replied Frostpool sincerely. "I am very proud of my apprentice, and I am confident she'll make a fine warrior."

"And Merrypaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and serve this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I… I do," Merrypaw meowed, having to find her voice at first.

"Then by the power of StarClan I give you your warrior name." Merrypaw stared up at Stripedstar in anticipation as he continued to speak. "Merrypaw, from this moment you shall be known as Merrycloud. Clouds are givers of rain, and therefore givers of life. Clouds also create snow, which can cause shortage of prey. You are a strong and determined cat who will bring life to your allies and destruction to your enemies – and I know that you are loyal to your Clan and to the entire forest. StarClan honors your power and your determination, and we welcome you as a full member of ShadowClan."

Merrycloud dipped her head, and as the ShadowClan leader licked her shoulder, she felt a thrill of surprise. She had never heard a warrior ceremony quite like that before, and doubted that she really had as much power as Stripedstar seemed to imply. With a shock, she realized that the rest of the Clan were suddenly chanting her name and Thorndancer's, and that Frostpool had already began to climb down the rock. She climbed down as well, and she, Frostpool, Smolderfur, and Thorndancer made their way back into the crowd.

"Your silent vigil will be held as usual, but as it is still early, you don't have to until tonight," Stripedstar said, addressing the new warriors. "Our Clan meeting is now dismissed."

"Well, Merry_cloud_," purred Thorndancer as the rest of the Clan began to wander away. "What do you think of your new name?"

"I kind of like it, Thorn_dancer_," Merrycloud replied, "although the ceremony's wording surprised me. How about you?"

"I have the coolest name in the whole forest!" Thorndancer exclaimed, bouncing into the air once. Suddenly growing serious, she added, "I really hope we'll be able to catch Larkleaf soon."

"So do I," Merrycloud agreed.

"Well, I have to go ask Smolderfur a question," Thorndancer mewed, turning to pad away. "I'll see you later, Merrycloud."

_I really need some fresh-kill_, Merrycloud thought, starting to walk towards the fresh-kill pile. She hadn't gotten very far, however, when Badgerfur bounded up to her suddenly.

"Merrycloud, do you have time to talk?" he panted, coming to a quick stop.

"Sure, as long as we can do it over some fresh-kill," Merrycloud mewed, bewildered. "What do you want to talk about, Badgerfur?"

"Well…" Badgerfur replied, dipping his head in shame. "Merrycloud, I realize that I've never really treated you in the way that a father should… and now, I'd like to tell you why."


	14. Chapter 12

**Warriors: The Darkest Season**

**I meant to update yesterday, but… clearly, I never did. Oh well. Here comes one of the biggest and most shocking chapters yet…**

**Maybe.**

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**CHAPTER TWELVE**

Merrycloud took a bite out of her blackbird. "So, Badgerfur…"

Badgerfur looked down awkwardly. Merrycloud felt extremely anxious – finally, she would know why her father had never behaved as if he loved her. Finally, she would know why he paid more attention to her brother. What if she would regret knowing the answer?

Finally, Badgerfur raised his head to look into his daughter's eyes, and Merrycloud's heart raced with anticipation. "The answer will shock you," Badgerfur warned her. "You may never feel the same about yourself again – in fact, I'm wondering if I should tell you. It might be a bit too much."

"I can handle it," Merrycloud insisted. "Tell me."

Badgerfur sighed. "I'm sorry I never told you this," he apologized, "but Birdsong is not your mother, and Smallsun was not your brother."

Everything seemed to stop, including Merrycloud's heart, and she couldn't speak for what seemed like a moon. Finally, she forced herself to whisper, "So that explains it… you don't act like my father because you're _not _my father."

Much to the brown warrior's surprise, however, Badgerfur shook his head. "I am your father," he corrected, "but I'm not Smallsun's, and Birdsong and I were never mates – though we were always good friends, which is why we were able to share this secret."

All Merrycloud really wanted to know was who her real mother was. Instead, she asked, "Who's Smallsun's father?"

"Smallsun's father was a rogue named Comet," explained Badgerfur. "Birdsong had three kits with him – two toms and a she-cat. Two of the kits went with Comet, while Smallkit came to live with Birdsong in ShadowClan.

"As for you, Merrycloud… your mother was a kittypet named Hershey. She had very dark brown fur, similar to yours, and she was beautiful. I met her while on patrol – her owner had let her go outside, and she'd wandered into our territory. I knew I should have chased her away, but something inside me just couldn't do it, and I ended up escorting her back to her den instead.

"Much to my surprise, Hershey asked if she could see me again. I shocked myself by agreeing, but I was a young warrior then, and I thought that I could keep it all a secret. When she became pregnant with my kit, I knew it would be harder, and when she asked if our kit could join ShadowClan, I agreed against my better judgement. I snuck the kit into camp and pretended to have found it on our territory."

"So – this kit wasn't me?" Merrycloud gasped. "I have a brother or sister?"

Badgerfur hesitated before nodding and replying, "Yes. Her name… was Larkkit."

For the second time, everything seemingly stopped. "You mean Larkkit, as in…"

Badgerfur nodded again. "Larkleaf," he verified.

"This… this is too much," Merrycloud gasped. "My head is spinning…"

"I was afraid of this," Badgerfur sighed. "Merrycloud, if this causes your mental health to deteriorate, I'm truly sorry, but I thought you needed to know, and so…"

"I… I think I'm fine," Merrycloud whispered, although she couldn't really say for sure at the moment. Her mother was a kittypet? Smallsun wasn't her brother? And even worse… Larkleaf was her sister? These revelations were almost more than she could take, although in the back of her mind, she knew that she wanted to – had to – keep being strong.

"Do you want me to go on?" Badgerfur asked gently.

"…Yes, I do."

Badgerfur nodded solemnly, then continued. "Larkkit soon became Silverwing's apprentice, Larkpaw. She seemed so… happy, so eager to learn. I really can't imagine what happened to that apprentice I used to know. Back then, I was proud to call her my daughter – although of course, I didn't.

"Shortly after, I found out that Hershey was expecting another litter. Unlike the first time, she had more than one kit, but she wanted to keep at least one of them. Because of that, your brothers, Andy and Robin, and your sister, Amelia, stayed with your mother, while you came with me to ShadowClan."

"Why didn't Hershey want to keep me?" Merrycloud inquired.

"She did," Badgerfur explained. "But I loved having Larkpaw in camp with me, and I loved the feeling of pride she gave me. Unfortunately, I could never tell anyone that she was my daughter, and I wanted a kit that everyone in ShadowClan could know about. With Hershey's permission, Birdsong and I were already pretending to be mates because of her pregnancy. I knew that her kits were almost due, and so when they were born, I brought you to the nursery in secret, and we pretended that you were hers."

"Didn't Silverwing know?" Merrycloud pointed out. "Didn't she help during the birth?"

"Because Birdsong wanted to give at least one kit to her mate, Comet, she pretended to be out for a walk when the kits were born," Badgerfur explained. "I had to help her get out of camp, and I helped her give birth by imitating what I'd seen Silverwing do – which, of course, was what I told the rest of the Clan. Comet took Burningkit and Leafkit with him, promising to give them unofficial apprentice and warrior ceremonies so that they could gain their full names. Afterwards, the only kits Birdsong had left were Smallkit… and Merrykit.

"I thought everything was fine, and that I'd gotten away with my extreme violation of the code – until that night. Even though it is usually the medicine cats and leaders who receive dreams from StarClan, I was contacted by Dawnwish, a good friend of mine who had gone to live in Silverpelt not long ago. She gave me this prophecy:

"'From the forbidden union of dawn and dusk have come two – one to destroy, and one to heal. Now, dusk and dawn must clash, and the healer must put an end to the destroyer's reign, or the forest will be dyed crimson, and even the sun will cry out.' I immediately realized what was meant by 'forbidden union' – with my golden pelt, I was dawn, and dark-furred Hershey was dusk. Since Larkleaf was a golden medicine cat, I assumed that she was the healer as well as the second dawn, while you were the destroyer and second dusk.

"Merrycloud, you may be the second dusk, but I realize now that if any kit of mine is a 'destroyer,' it's Larkleaf. She has already dyed the forest crimson, and Smallsun's death may be what the 'sun' part of the prophecy was referring to. Merrycloud, you are the only dark-colored kit I've ever had. You are the dusk, but also the healer.

"That must be why StarClan didn't interfere – Merrycloud, it is _your _destiny to put a stop to Larkleaf, in order to make up for my mistake. When I first received the prophecy, I didn't want to admit that my relationship with Hershey was wrong. I loved her – I still do. I was young and proud, and I didn't want to tell anyone that I'd broken the warrior code. But perhaps that was for the best – if I'd told Larkleaf, she could have used it against me, perhaps by destroying you."

Merrycloud shivered. How could any cat handle suddenly discovering such a heavy destiny – one that the entire forest depended on the fulfillment of? And yet… somehow… she was able to take it. Maybe that proved that she really was the healer of the prophecy; maybe it proved that nothing could take her out before the fulfillment of her destiny.

_But if I really am the prophecy's healer, _Merrycloud realized, _what does that mean I'll have to do to Larkleaf…_

_To my own sister?_

* * *

**I feel pretty confident that this chapter surprised everyone. There was absolutely no way to see it coming, although there have been a few tiny hints all along. I really hope it was as good as I wanted it to be, and I hope you keep reading!**


	15. Chapter 13

**Warriors: The Darkest Season**

**I'm sorry this took so long. I started to write it, but everything I wrote was deleted, so I had to start again… and honestly, I had no ideas for this chapter.**

…**I still don't. I'm just making most of this up as I go on, actually, but I hope you'll still enjoy.**

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**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

About three extra border patrols had already gone around the ShadowClan borders by the time Frostpool, Stonewing, Foxfang, and Smolderfur had headed to ThunderClan territory. The small patrol was planning to meet with the leaders of each of the other Clans and inform them that an emergency Gathering must be held. No one knew if the patrol planned to release any details on Larkleaf's identity, however.

"I hope the Gathering's not tonight," Thorndancer said to Merrycloud as they headed to the warriors' den for a short rest. "We have our silent vigil, and we'll miss it if it is. Can't we just skip the vigil?"

Merrycloud shook her head. "It's in the code, and it's important for a new warrior. It helps them learn to listen, and –"

"Whatever," Thorndancer interrupted. "It had better not be tonight, that's all. I am _not_ missing this Gathering."

"Even if it's not tonight, Stripedstar might not pick us to go," Merrycloud pointed out.

"If he doesn't, I'll go and join ThunderClan," Thorndancer declared. Merrycloud almost rebuked her, but calmed herself, reminding herself that her friend didn't mean it.

In the moment of silence that followed, Merrycloud suddenly wondered if she should tell Thorndancer the truth – that she was Larkleaf's sister, destined to defeat the murderer. _She's my best friend, _Merrycloud thought desperately. _She has to know!_

"Hey, Thorndancer…"

At just that moment, Lionblood poked his head into the entrance of the warriors' den. "Hey, you two!" he called. "Stripedstar wants us all to practice our battle moves."

"Why?" Thorndancer whined. "We're not apprentices anymore!"

"But we _are _the youngest warriors," Lionblood pointed out. "We probably could use the practice, Thorndancer."

_Lionblood… my other dearest friend, _Merrycloud thought to herself as she stood up and followed him out of the den. _I know that the prophecy says I was meant to defeat Larkleaf – it's what I was _born _for! But that doesn't mean no more harm will be done. What if she attacks him? Or Thorndancer? I just couldn't take it!_

"You guys," Merrycloud began as the three young warriors walked into an empty area. "There's something I really need to tell you…"

Lionblood turned his head to Merrycloud, obviously willing to listen. "Hold that thought!" Thorndancer yelled from behind Merrycloud, rushing up suddenly and swiping, claws sheathed, at the dark brown warrior's flank. Startled, Merrycloud leaped back with a hiss.

"Thorndancer, I was being serious –"

"There's no time for that during battle!" Thorndancer exclaimed, taking another swipe and missing by a foxlength. "Unless, of course," he added with a purr of amusement, "it was a declaration of love. In that case, you should definitely get it out of the way."

"Can't you ever be _serious_?" Merrycloud gasped, outraged by her friend's apparent level of uncaring. "If you can't… I'll do this!"

Before Thorndancer could react, Merrycloud leaped through the air, landing on the silver she-cat's back. With claws sheathed, she took a few swipes at Thorndancer's sides, then bounded off her Clanmate with a powerful leap. Thorndancer yelled in protest, and Lionblood gasped in horror.

"Merrycloud, what are you doing?" he yowled.

"Practicing," spat Merrycloud. "Just what I'm supposed to do."

At the same time, however, Merrycloud realized that what she had done was wrong. She could have really hurt Thorndancer, when all she was really trying to do was protect her.

"…I'm sorry," she mewed quietly. "Oh, Thorndancer, I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

"Um… yeah," Thorndancer replied, a bit of fear showing in her green eyes. "I'm… fine."

"Look," Merrycloud mewed, a distressed tone appearing in her voice. "I'm so, so sorry. I was just mad… because you weren't taking me seriously. I wanted to tell you something… that could protect you from Larkleaf."

"Well, why didn't you just _say _so?" asked Lionblood. "What is it, Merrycloud?"

"Well… I don't exactly know how to say this… long story short, Larkleaf is my sister."

"What?" screeched Thorndancer.

At the same time, Lionblood stammered, "B-but… how?"

"It's a really long story," Merrycloud sighed. "And perhaps I'll get a chance to tell it, but not now. The point is… there's a prophecy. It says that I'll defeat Larkleaf, and we won't have to worry about her anymore."

"Really?" Thorndancer meowed, her eyes wide with astonishment. "I could never hurt any of my siblings."

"And I don't want to," Merrycloud affirmed. "I'm sure I can find a way to defeat her without actually hurting her. But if you two want to stay safe, you should stick with me for a while… I can protect you."

Deep within her heart, Merrycloud knew that she couldn't actually make any promises. However, just seeing the looks of relief on her friends' faces filled her body with warmth.

"That's so cool, Merrycloud!" Thorndancer exclaimed. "You're, like, a hero or something!"

"I… I don't think I'd go that far," Merrycloud replied, embarrassed. "But I'll do my best to protect you. You two… you're the best friends I've ever had, and I couldn't stand it if anything happened to you. I know that a warrior's life is filled with danger, but after what happened to Smallsun…"

Suddenly, Lionblood's pelt was pressed against her side. "I understand," the light brown tom told her.

"Me, too!" agreed Thorndancer. "We'd both be sad if anything happened to you, too!"

"So that's why we'll stay together," confirmed Lionblood. "Agreed?"

"Agreed!" the two she-cats repeated.

"I… I really am sorry," Merrycloud added quietly. "I have to protect everyone… and I will."

"That's a heavy burden to carry, Merrycloud," Lionblood pointed out.

"Yeah, but let's not think about that right now… we need to practice."

The three friends continued to practice until the sun began to sink into the sky. Finally, the exhausted warriors collapsed onto the ground, too tired to go on.

"I just can't do it anymore," Thorndancer gasped.

"Me either," Merrycloud agreed.

Lionblood only moaned.

Suddenly, Merrycloud heard a rustle coming from the camp entrance. Slowly lifting up her head and turning to look in the direction of the bramble tunnel, she could see the patrol returning at last.

"We're back!" Stonewing called, and Stripedstar and Yellowtail dashed across camp towards the grey warrior shortly after.

"What happened?" Stripedstar asked.

"We told them some of the details," Frostpool confessed. "Namely, Larkleaf's identity. They were all shocked, but agreed to hold the emergency Gathering."

"It's going to take place tomorrow," Foxfang added.

"Oh, and by the way," put in Smolderfur, "you'll never guess who decided to tag along."

Smolderfur jerked his head towards the bramble tunnel, and a few moments later, a cat emerged – and not a ShadowClan cat.

"Greetings," purred Lightningpelt. "I hope you don't mind if I spend the night on ShadowClan territory?"

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**Ok, maybe not the most exciting chapter… but it sets the stage, so please stay tuned.**


	16. Chapter 14

**Warriors: The Darkest Season**

**Man guys, I can not TELL you how sorry I am. Forgetfulness is a terrible, terrible thing that really needs to cease to exist… until it's convenient, of course. Hope you can forgive me…**

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**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

Merrycloud scrambled to her paws, all of her exhaustion seeming to vanish instantly. What was going on?

"Lightningpelt," Rushpelt sighed from somewhere nearby. "Of _course _it's Lightningpelt – it's _always _Lightningpelt!"

Ignoring him, Merrycloud echoed, "Spend the night? What for?"

Lightningpelt shrugged slightly. "I wanted to talk with Stripedstar for a while. I thought he wouldn't mind." The ThunderClan deputy cast a sidelong glance at Stripedstar, as if challenging him to disagree.

"Um… it's fine," replied Stripedstar, clearly rather confused. "You can if you want."

Lightningpelt did not answer. Instead, much to Merrycloud's surprise, he turned and began to walk in her direction.

"The last time I saw you, with the exception of Lionblood, you were still only apprentices," the golden tom said as he approached Merrycloud and her friends. "Congratulations, Thorndancer, Merrycloud."

Merrycloud stared, shocked. How did Lightningpelt know that she and Thorndancer had had their warrior ceremonies? More than that, how did he know their new names? She looked towards Stripedstar, wondering if he had somehow told the ThunderClan deputy without her knowledge, but her leader looked just as confused as she felt.

"Um… hey, Merrycloud, Thorndancer," Stripedstar finally said, with a bewildered voice and expression. "It's getting late. Why don't you two go start your vigil?"

"Okay," agreed Merrycloud, dashing away with Thorndancer at her paws. _Anything to keep my mind off of things._

Throughout the vigil, Merrycloud kept herself amused by walking around the camp and making up stories about everything she saw, including a few of her Clanmates. This not only kept her entertained, but helped her not to think about the many life-changing events going on in her real world. _In leaf-bare, _she told herself, _long ago, there was once a brave mouse who dared to challenge ShadowClan to a battle…_

At one point, Merrycloud mistook Rushpelt for an intruder and nearly clawed his ears off. She felt extremely embarrassed about the incident, but secretly thought that the annoying tom deserved it. Thorndancer would sometimes sneak off, and Merrycloud once decided to follow her and find out what was going on. She discovered that her friend had been sneaking behind Stripedstar's den and eavesdropping on the Clan leader's conversations with Lightningpelt. Merrycloud wished that Thorndancer could tell her what they were saying, but knew that even the silver she-cat realized what a huge mistake it would be to break her oath of silence.

To Merrycloud, it seemed as if the night would never end. She could hear cats talking excitedly, seemingly anxious about the emergency meeting. When she listened closer, however, she realized that her Clanmates were actually talking about Lightningpelt.

"I don't want him in the camp," Badgerfur said to Birdsong as they sat down nearby with two pieces of fresh-kill. "There's just something a little weird about it."

"Well, no cat wants another Clan's deputy in their camp," Birdsong responded, taking a bite of her frog.

"It's not just that," the golden tom insisted. "There's something… different about him. It's like… when he looks at you, you get a feeling that he knows everything about you – even things that you don't know yourself."

Birdsong shook her head. "Badgerfur, I think you're imagining it."

Merrycloud knew, though, that Badgerfur _wasn't_ imagining it. There was definitely something strange about ThunderClan's deputy. After all, he'd known her warrior name, and no one had told him… unless he'd been hanging around ShadowClan territory more often than he'd like to admit. Merrycloud shuddered at the thought.

Somehow, however, she couldn't bring herself to think of Lightningpelt as a bad cat. He was certainly mysterious, but not a spy. Merrycloud had seen him take control of his warriors in an instant, and she was convinced that he'd had good intentions at heart – unless, of course, his Clanmates obeyed him out of fear.

But hadn't he saved Mintheart's life?

When the sun finally rose the next day, Merrycloud was so relieved to be able to speak that at first she couldn't think of anything to say. Stifling a yawn, she turned to face Thorndancer, who looked to be asleep on her paws.

"It's tonight," the silver warrior said drowsily, and suddenly Merrycloud remembered – the emergency Gathering would, indeed, be tonight.

"Are we meeting at the usual time?" she asked, a yawn escaping her jaws as she did so.

"I think so," Thorndancer answered, nodding slowly. "I think… I think I need a nap."

"I feel like I haven't slept in moons," agreed Merrycloud.

The two of them began to stumble towards the warriors' den; Merrycloud was aware of someone – probably Rushpelt – purring with laughter. They had almost reached the den when something suddenly occurred to her.

"Hey… hey Thorndancer," she whispered hoarsely. "What were Stripedstar and Lightningpelt saying last night?"

No answer. Glancing to her side, Merrycloud realized with a start that Thorndancer was no longer there. When she looked down, she realized that her friend had fallen to the ground, asleep.

With a sigh, she took Thorndancer's scruff in her teeth and gently dragged her into the warriors' den. Apparently, she would have to go without an answer for a little while longer. Merrycloud was desperate to know what the conversation had been like – had the mysterious ThunderClan tom revealed anything about himself? Had Stripedstar received any clue as to how he'd know the names of ShadowClan's newest warriors?

Lionblood was just leaving the den as Merrycloud entered with the unconscious Thorndancer. He nodded in greeting, then hurried out of the den, seeming to realize that his friends needed their sleep.

Merrycloud let out another sigh and, after dragging Thorndancer into a nest, settled down near her, resting her head against her paws and closing her eyes. She was so tired, and she knew that the sooner she went to sleep, the sooner she could wake up… and the sooner everything would end.

Sleep overtook her quickly. When she awoke, she would be that much closer to attending the emergency Gathering, and that much closer to fulfilling the prophecy.

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**Ok, so that one was a bit short, and not very exciting, but I think it came out pretty good. I think Rushpelt speaks for all of us – it really **_**is **_**always Lightningpelt. Things are about to get exciting again, so stay tuned!**


	17. Chapter 15

**Warriors: The Darkest Season**

**Believe it or not I have an actual excuse this time. My computer was broken and I hadn't backed the files up anywhere. So I decided it was really about time you guys got another chapter, huh?**

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**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

"Thorndancer," Merrycloud whispered. "Thorndancer – hey! Thorndancer!"

Merrycloud had not had an opportunity to speak with her friend all day; it seemed that every time either of them turned around, the older warriors had a job for them. To Merrycloud, it seemed as if she had never stopped being an apprentice.

Finally, however, all of ShadowClan was preparing to leave for Fourtrees for the emergency Gathering. Even Brookheart and her four tiny kits were in attendance; Lionblood walked near them, solemnly silent. Near the back of the party, the elders padded slowly along, helped by Stonewing and Birdsong. Lightningpelt had left while Merrycloud was asleep; according to Yellowtail, he had gone back to his own Clan, to be with them during the journey to Fourtrees.

Merrycloud felt extremely anxious – surely, now, with all the Clan cats gathered together, Larkleaf would be much more easily caught. However, there was one question that the Gathering could not answer.

"Thorndancer!" the brown warrior whispered, more urgently. At last, her friend turned to face her, her eyes full of questions.

"What is it, Merrycloud?"

Dropping her voice to a whisper, Merrycloud asked, "When Stripedstar was talking to Lightningpelt, did he ask about… you know, the incident? I mean… did he ask how Lightningpelt knew our warrior names?"

Thorndancer shook her head. "Not from what I heard. They mostly talked about how to capture Larkleaf, and how to choose a new medicine cat for ShadowClan."

Merrycloud's stomach turned slightly. _I can't believe Stripedstar would discuss our problems with another Clan's deputy! I suppose Larkleaf is _every _Clan's problem, though… _she reminded herself._ For now, at least, there aren't any Clan rivalries._

_We are all one Clan in the fight against her… my sister._

"I'm hungry," Owlkit complained from somewhere nearby.

"And I'm tired!" put in Pebblekit.

"This is really stupid," Duskkit grumbled. "Why couldn't we have a nice medicine cat like all the other Clans? Then we wouldn't have to do this."

"I'm really scared," mewed Rosekit fearfully. "What if Larkleaf attacks us at the Gathering?"

"All four Clans will be there, mousebrain," Duskkit retorted. "She can't take all of us at once!"

Merrycloud glanced over her shoulder at Brookheart. The kits' mother had a worried look on her face; whether it was for the safety of her kits or for the sake of her own peace and quiet, Merrycloud wasn't sure. Three of the four kits padded between their mother and Lionblood, and Brookheart carried the tiny Rosekit by the scruff in her jaws. Merrycloud felt a wave of sympathy for the grey she-kit, and wondered if she was strong enough to walk on her own or if something was wrong with her. _If we only had a _real _ShadowClan medicine cat!_

"We're approaching the Thunderpath!" called out Yellowtail from the front of the ShadowClan group. "Everyone, be careful; there are monsters out."

"Help the kits and elders!" added in Stripedstar, but there was really no need. Lionblood had already scooped up Pebblekit in his jaws, and Thorndancer and Frostpool had dashed over to help with Owlkit and Duskkit. Stonewing pushed his shoulder against Lightstorm's side, supporting her; Birdsong tried to do the same for Stormtail, but he ducked away, glaring.

As Merrycloud and her Clanmates approached the Thunderpath, the sheer number of monsters roaring across it became suddenly apparent, and the brown she-cat's heart seemed to flip over within her chest. _Oh, I hope we can all make it!_

Stripedstar crouched in the shadows for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, he yelled, "Now! Yellowtail, Rushpelt, and Smolderfur, follow me!"

"Be careful!" Thorndancer called as well as she could around the brown tabby kit in her jaws. Owlkit let out a small squeak of protest, but no cat paid him any mind. Stripedstar dashed across the Thunderpath, followed by the three cats whose names had been called; they made it safely across just as another monster hurtled past.

Several more moments passed, and at least one monster with each of them. Suddenly, Merrycloud heard her leader's voice from across the path. "Merrycloud, Foxfang, Badgerfur!"

Almost without thinking, Merrycloud hurtled across the Thunderpath, her pelt hot with desperate fear. A blur of dark grey and yellow streaked past, and suddenly, her paws were on grass again; Merrycloud narrowly avoided running into Rushpelt, who stared at her angrily as if she were a RiverClan warrior trying to claw his ears off. Merrycloud returned his glower, then turned to focus her attention on the cats still across the Thunderpath.

The only cats that remained were the kits, elders, and those warriors helping them. Merrycloud felt a knot of fear begin to form in her belly; what would happen if any one of them made a wrong step?

Several more monsters sped past; almost too soon, Stripedstar yowled, "Get the kit and _hurry_!"

Thorndancer and Frostpool came first, holding Owlkit and Duskkit respectively. The two tiny toms cried out in fear and discomfort for what seemed like moons; when they were halfway across, Brookheart and Lionblood raced after them, carrying Rosekit and Pebblekit.

Finally, only Lionblood and Rosekit were left on the Thunderpath. Merrycloud was just about to sigh with relief when suddenly, a horrible rumbling noise nearly made her heart stop.

_Monster!_

Lionblood looked up, his eyes round with fear, as a shining black monster bore down upon his right flank, rays of light streaming from its eyes. Pebblekit howled in agony and battered her tiny paws, trying desperately to escape.

Narrowing his eyes and turning, Lionblood seemed overcome by a sudden burst of speed as he took only a small moment to crouch down before hurtling across the Thunderpath and crashing to his paws in the grass beside Brookheart.

"Oh, my Pebblekit!" Brookheart wailed after turning over Rosekit to Foxfang. Snatching the brown she-kit from Lionblood, she placed Pebblekit on the ground and began to groom her all over, much to her daughter's obvious displeasure.

"Okay," Stripedstar called. "We're almost through. Now, I'd like for there to be no monsters around when the elders cross."

Even after monsters had stopped racing by, Stripedstar was quiet for several moments. When it became clear that the wave of monsters had, for now, stopped, the ShadowClan leader gave the signal, and Birdsong and Stonewing began to help the elders cross. Slowly but surely, they padded forward, until finally they reached their Clanmates; at the exact moment Lightstorm placed all four of her paws on the grass, a monster suddenly roared down the Thunderpath.

"Good to see we've all made it across safely," Stripedstar mewed, relief shining in his amber eyes. "And now…" turning away from his Clanmates, Stripedstar began to walk in the direction of the four Clans' gathering place, which was now clearly visible many foxlengths away. "Fourtrees awaits."

All of ShadowClan rose to their paws and followed their leader. The huge tabby tom was silent as he continued forward, and even Rosekit seemed unwilling to make a sound. Merrycloud secretly wondered if the entirety of all four Clans could fit in Fourtrees, but kept her doubts to herself, not daring to break the silence.

Finally, the ShadowClan warriors passed between two of the huge oaks that marked the borders of the Clans' neutral territory, the clearing where all cats met. Stepping into the Gathering place, Merrycloud realized that she had forgotten how wide the clearing really was. All of WindClan's warriors were already there, and Merrycloud could see RiverClan approaching in the distance, from the opposite side of the oak border. It was clear that Fourtrees could hold all three of these Clans, as well as ThunderClan, once they arrived.

"Hey, Merrypaw!"

Surprised to be addressed by her apprentice name, Merrycloud turned in the direction of the voice that had called to her. Much to her surprise, she saw Shallowpaw, a WindClan apprentice she had met at her last Gathering, approaching; he was bigger now, his pale grey fur seemed much sleeker, and his light green eyes glimmered with confidence.

"Shallowpaw!" Merrycloud responded, trying her best to keep the shock from her voice. "Wow, you look great – I assume the prey's been running well?" Quickly smoothing down the fur on her shoulder, she added, "And my name is Merry_cloud_ now."

"So you got your warrior name, too!" the grey tom purred. "My name's not Shallowpaw anymore. It's Shallowstone."

"That's great!" Merrycloud mewed. "What a neat warrior name."

"I guess." Shallowstone dipped his head, as if embarrassed. "So, did Smallpaw get his name, too?"

A wave of grief swept over Merrypaw, and she could barely find the words to speak for several moments. Finally, she managed to say, "Smallpaw… that is, Smallsun… is… dead."

Shallowstone gasped. "Don't tell me that he was…"

Her friend didn't have to finish his sentence; Merrycloud knew what he was about to say. Slowly and sadly, she nodded.

"Oh, wow, I'm so sorry…" Shallowstone meowed quietly.

"Thanks," whispered Merrycloud.

"So," mewed Shallowstone quickly, clearly trying to change the subject. "Dreamstar says she knows who the killer is, but she won't tell us."

"You'll never believe it when you do hear it," Merrycloud replied. "I wish I could tell you the whole story myself, but I think Stripedstar should explain."

The WindClan tom was about to reply when suddenly, the ThunderClan cats appeared in the clearing.

"About time you got here!" called Flowerstar, the RiverClan leader, from below the Great Rock, where she had been whispering urgently with Dreamstar and Stripedstar.

"Sorry we're so late," apologized Lizardstar, "but we found the scent of… _that cat_ on our territory, and we had to make sure she was gone."

"It's fine," replied Stripedstar. He turned and bounded to the top of the Great Rock, followed by the other three leaders, and the deputies came to stand below them.

Every cat's attention was already turned upon the four Clan leaders; just the same, Flowerstar yowled, "Cats of all Clans, an emergency Gathering is about to begin!"


	18. Chapter 16

**Warriors: The Darkest Season**

**Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Here's the chapter where everything begins to end. Honestly I'm a bit relieved… after all, I have other ideas I want to get started on! But of course, I'll always be super-proud of this fic, and I hope that everyone will keep reading to the end.**

* * *

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

"We are gathered here at Fourtrees tonight to discuss the murders that have so recently plagued the Clans," Flowerstar mewed. "However, just the same, I would like to announce that RiverClan has one new warrior, Heartsong, and two new apprentices, Amberpaw and Bluepaw."

Cats around the clearing cheered, but it was clear that these cheers were halfhearted. Every cat wanted to hear the identity of the killer, and they clearly didn't intend to wait until next greenleaf.

"If anyone else has news to share?" Flowerstar indicated the other Clan leaders with a quick glance, and Dreamstar quickly stepped up to take her place.

"Our Clan is well-fed," the tortoiseshell-and-white WindClan leader said. "We have been training as hard as we possibly can since the murders began, and no cat has trained harder than our newest warrior, Shallowstone."

_So that's why he looks so much bigger and sleeker, _Merrycloud thought. _It hasn't been _that _long since we first met, after all._

"Thorndancer and Merrycloud are our newest warriors," shared Stripedstar, taking the WindClan leader's place. "Brookheart has recently had four kits, and –"

"Can we get on with it?" interrupted Rushpelt, his black and white fur bristling away from his thin frame. Merrycloud stared at him in shock. She'd always known that the patch-furred warrior was impatient and rude, but surely he knew better than to challenge his own Clan leader in such a way?

"Rushpelt, silence!" hissed Stripedstar, glaring down at his Clanmate. "I should make you clean the elder's den for a moon for such behavior!"

Rushpelt flattened his ears and tucked his tail between his legs, shooting a venomous glare at his leader that made Merrycloud feel ill.

"Unfortunately, one of our apprentices, Smallpaw, was murdered shortly after our last Gathering," continued the ShadowClan leader somberly. "He was given his warrior name, Smallsun, just before completing the journey to StarClan."

Every cat in the clearing began to chatter at once. "This is terrible!" wailed a brown ThunderClan queen, drawing her kits closer to her with her tail.

"Not another life lost," spat a golden RiverClan warrior, her amber eyes glittering defiantly.

"This has to stop!" a WindClan tom hissed, his dark brown pelt standing on end.

"Weaseltail is right!" agreed his Clanmate, a white she-cat.

A yowl from the Great Rock brought the cats back to attention, and all eyes turned once again to Stripedstar.

"Lizardstar, do you have anything to say?" the ShadowClan leader asked, stepping back to let the black ThunderClan tom stand at the head of the rock.

"I do," Lizardstar replied, padding forwards to address the Clans. "ThunderClan prey has been scarce lately, and we have reason to believe that the killer may be responsible. ThunderClan warriors have found prey killed on our territory, the scent of the one who caught it carefully removed. None of our warriors were able to claim it – although my kits, Rainkit and Poppykit, tried to."

A few cats purred with unexpected laughter at this last comment, and Merrycloud wondered what it was like for a ThunderClan cat, living under the leadership of Lizardstar. He seemed a bit too relaxed and laid-back in her opinion, but ThunderClan had not weakened since he had taken Greystar's position, just before Merrycloud had been apprenticed.

"Now," Lizardstar mewed, dipping his head and backing away. "Stripedstar, I believe that you have news that we will all be interested in hearing?"

The clearing rippled with excitement as Stripedstar bounded forward, and Merrycloud heard some cat whisper, "Finally!"

"Cats of all Clans," Stripedstar yowled. "It brings me great sadness today to report to you that the true identity of the murderer is none other than ShadowClan's former medicine cat, Larkleaf."

Shocked yowls and screeches broke out from every Clan. "A medicine cat could never be a killer!" cried the ThunderClan warrior Snowstorm, his white pelt bristling wildly. "StarClan would never allow it!"

"And of course it was a ShadowClan cat," put in Mintheart. "I wouldn't trust a cat who chooses to live in darkness any more than I would trust a badger!"

"We do _not _live in darkness!" spat Rushpelt.

"Yeah!" added Thorndancer. "Just because we hunt at night doesn't mean that we also run with the foxes!"

"Calm down!" Stripedstar commanded. "While it's true that this may not seem to make sense, the fact is that for now, the Clans need to come to come together to defeat this threat. Larkleaf may be only one cat, but she is fierce, and it will not be easy to defeat her alone."

Lightningpelt suddenly spoke up from below the Great Rock; though his mew was quiet, every cat in the clearing fell silent and listened. "I visited Stripedstar last night, and we have decided that the new ShadowClan medicine cat must be selected soon." Scanning every cat in the crowd, he raised his voice just a bit and added, "Stripedstar said that he was waiting for a sign from StarClan, and that once the new medicine cat was selected, he or she should be trained by the other medicine cats of the Clans. Does any cat have a quarrel with this?"

"Can you really trust them to train him or her properly?" spoke up a brown-furred RiverClan queen who seemed close to kitting. "I don't have any doubts that Milkberry will do what is right, of course, but the four Clans will always be enemies – even after this period of alliance has passed."

"What are you saying?" hissed Foxfang, narrowing his eyes.

"Medicine cats lie outside the normal Clan loyalties," pointed out Smolderfur. "They have an obligation to all."

"Smolderfur is right," testified Clearwater, the WindClan medicine cat; her black pelt was almost invisible in the darkness of the night. "So, what do you say?" she asked, looking at her fellow medicine cats and their apprentices. "Briarcloud, Blazepaw? Milkberry, Daypaw? Should we help to train ShadowClan's new medicine cat?"

"Of course!" Milkberry mewed, her blue eyes shining. The RiverClan medicine cat stepped forward, her white pelt shining in the moonlight. Merrycloud caught a glimpse of her golden-colored paws; she had never seen a cat marked quite like that before. "Daypaw and I will be thrilled to give our assistance – won't we, Daypaw?"

"Um… sure," the golden tabby apprentice mewed, ducking her head.

Briarcloud swung his tail around his paws, eyes glittering with amusement. "As if Blazepaw wasn't enough trouble!" he purred.

"Hey!" mewed the ThunderClan medicine cat's ginger apprentice, flicking his mentor's ear with his ringed tail. "We'd be glad to help," he reassured Clearwater.

The WindClan she-cat looked up at Stripedstar. "Now that that's settled," she called, "have you received a sign?"

The ShadowClan leader nodded. "StarClan came to me in a dream tonight," he answered. "They told me, 'In Twolegplace lies the answer.'"

"Twolegplace?" repeated Rushpelt, shock clear in his mew. "You've got to be kidding me! I don't want my medicine cat to be some kittypet!"

"StarClan has spoken, Rushpelt," Birdsong mewed, giving him a stern glare.

"Now," continued Stripedstar, as if he hadn't heard. "Now that we're all gathered together, I propose that we send out parties to search for Larkleaf."

Several cats mewed their agreement, but others seemed unsure.

"What should we do if we find her?" called out Tansyfern, one of the cats who had been on Lightningpelt's patrol.

"Fight," replied Stripedstar. "I would prefer if we could somehow contain her as a prisoner, but if worse comes to worse, we may have no option but to kill."

Merrycloud's stomach suddenly tied itself in knots. She knew that she was the one destined to face Larkleaf in the end, and she also knew that the corrupt medicine cat was actually her sister. What would it take to win the fight? The brown warrior didn't particularly want to think about it.

"We should send out a rather large party at first," Stripedstar mewed. "Larkleaf may be dangerous, but even she cannot take on too many cats at once. Merrycloud, Lionblood, Badgerfur, and Foxfang, I'd like you to go on the search for Larkleaf."

_Is this it, then? _thought Merrycloud grimly. _The end?_

"Snowstorm, Mintheart, Brightpaw, you join them," Lizardstar added.

"Brightpaw?" repeated Shallowstone from beside Merrycloud; she jumped, having almost forgotten he was there. "Isn't he the apprentice who was attacked by Larkleaf?"

Looking around, Merrycloud spotted a white apprentice standing next to Mintheart. He was rather large, probably about to receive his warrior name, and his back was covered in several scars. His green eyes shone determinedly, and Merrycloud guessed that he was thinking of revenge.

"Onespirit, Preciousheart, and Ragingstream, you can go as well," commanded Flowerstar. Merrycloud spotted a striped brown tom, the golden she-cat who had spoken earlier, and a dark grey tom nod in turn as their names were called.

"Not Onespirit!" begged the brown RiverClan queen. "I lost my father to Larkleaf, and now you're sending my mate out to die at her paws as well?"

Weaving his way through a sea of cats, the striped tom came to stand by her side and touched her cheek gently with his nose. "Don't worry, Oakflower," he whispered. "I'll be fine, I promise."

Dreamstar called her warriors' names next. "Redclaw, Shiningpelt, and Sandpelt!"

"Redclaw was my mentor," whispered Shallowstone. "He's the big brown tabby. Shiningpelt is the white she-cat who agreed with Weaseltail earlier, and Sandpelt is our Clan's deputy." Flicking his tail towards an orange-brown tom with a white tail-tip, he added, "See his orange fur? That's how he got his name."

"I wish you all luck on your mission," Lizardstar mewed.

"Be safe," added Stripedstar. "Don't take unnecessary risks."

As the patrol began to file out of the boundaries of Fourtrees, Merrycloud felt slightly nauseous. _This is it._

"What's wrong?" Lionblood asked quietly, padding up beside her. "Thinking about your si – about Larkleaf?"

Merrycloud could only nod.

"Don't worry about it," he mewed. "Let's just do our best – for the sake of all the Clans."

Merrycloud nodded again. However, as the patrol pressed on, she couldn't shake away that same sick feeling of dread.


	19. Chapter 17

**Warriors: The Darkest Season**

**Ok, so tell me, **_**why **_**is everyone acting like I'm finished with this story? I guess I didn't make it clear enough that I was only CLOSE to finishing; I have a lot more story to tell still. So, here we go!**

**IMPORTANT NOTE: I've been sick, so that's part of why this update was slower than I intended.**

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**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

"I can't believe we searched all over the territories and didn't find a thing," Ragingstream complained. "It took us all night, and I'm nearly asleep on my paws!"

"We found her hiding place," pointed out Badgerfur, shooting a sidelong glance at the RiverClan warrior. "Isn't that enough?"

"To think that she was right under our nose the whole time, right in WindClan territory!" Redclaw exclaimed, shaking his head as though angry with himself.

"Who would have thought that a cat would burrow underground like a rabbit?" replied Sandpelt. "If I hadn't smelled her stench in that tunnel, I wouldn't have believed it myself. After all, it's mid-newleaf, and any sane cat would know to leave the digging to the prey."

"Larkleaf is not a sane cat," pointed out Onespirit. The brown warrior seemed to have a trace of relief in his voice; perhaps he was surprised that he'd fulfilled his promise to his mate, after all. Merrycloud herself felt that she must be more relieved than any cat, although there were still problems with the fact that Larkleaf had not been found.

"So where do you think she is now, if not in her nest?" Foxfang asked, voicing Merrycloud's fears. "She was at least clever enough to cover up her scent trail, if nothing else."

"Not in our camp, I hope," replied Brightpaw bitterly. The ThunderClan apprentice was the only cat on the patrol who appeared to be disappointed that they had not encountered the rogue medicine cat; he seemed to flex his claws even as he walked.

"That's a valid concern," agreed Onespirit. "I wouldn't put attacking our camps beneath her, especially now that her identity has been discovered."

"She doesn't know that _every _cat knows yet," Merrycloud protested. "She was only actually spotted by Lightningpelt, Mintheart, and a pawful of my Clanmates."

"The logical thing for those cats to do would be to tell every other cat," pointed out Redclaw, and Merrycloud had to admit that he was right.

"But who says Larkleaf is logical?" mused Lionblood. "She seems to be losing her sanity quite steadily. I doubt that the _logical _thing is on her mind at all."

"With madness often comes paranoia," Onespirit said, almost absentmindedly. "Mistrust, worry that any cat and every cat are out to get you – and in Larkleaf's case, she'd be right about that."

"She'll notice our scent when she returns to her burrow," Brightpaw added darkly. "It probably won't be long until she either flees the area or comes looking for a challenge – if she's brave enough."

"Or stupid enough," spoke up Shiningpelt, from near the back of the patrol. "Which I don't doubt in the slightest."

The cats fell silent as they approached Fourtrees, their tails down. As soon as they stepped into the border, the patrol was barraged with questions from all Clans.

"Did you find her?" a WindClan tom called.

"Is she finally taken care of for good?" snarled a ThunderClan she-cat.

"Did I miss all the action?" asked Rushpelt, who seemed rather distraught at the thought of this.

"We found her nest," Onespirit mewed, loudly enough for every cat to hear. "However, she was not there, and had disguised her scent trail as usual."

Cats hissed in protest from all sides, as if it were the returning patrol's fault that they had failed. Lizardstar leaped to the top of the Great Rock and let out a yowl, silencing the assembled warriors.

"It is not their fault," the black leader mewed. "At least we know where Larkleaf is hiding. We can send warriors to wait outside her den and ambush her, when and if she makes her return."

Running up the rock to stand beside him, Stripedstar added, "While the other leaders select the warriors for this mission, I will take a few of my own into Twolegplace to search for our new medicine cat. If Larkleaf is found, our warriors may retain injuries while fighting her, and judging by past experience, a medicine cat would likely be necessary."

"I will come with you," spoke up Lightningpelt from beneath the rock. "After all, you will be passing through my Clan's territory, and you will need an escort to… keep you in line."

Merrycloud narrowed her eyes, sitting down to wash the dirt from her left front paw. There was a very faint note of amusement in Lightningpelt's voice, which made her think that his reasons for coming along ran deeper than just protection of ThunderClan borders.

"Merrycloud, Badgerfur. I would like the two of you to accompany Lightningpelt and me to Twolegplace tomorrow. You've had a long night, and I think you deserve some rest before we set off."

Merrycloud exchanged a confused glance with her father. Hesitantly, Badgerfur called, "Just the two of us, Stripedstar? What if we run into trouble?"

"I'm sure we can take care of it," the leader responded. "I have plenty of lives left."

"You say that _now_, but what if we run into rats?" the golden warrior pressed. "Or a pack of dogs, or even a group of rogues?"

"We can handle it," Stripedstar answered firmly.

Merrycloud could not make herself understand. Couldn't Stripedstar see that their patrol needed more cats than this? He was a good leader, and she would normally never think him to make such a mistake. She could see cats from other Clans exchanging looks of disbelief and contempt, and felt a small pang in her belly at the realization that her Clan leader was being looked on unfavorably by the other cats.

Before Merrycloud even knew he was standing next to her, Badgerfur was nudging her shoulder with his nose. "Merrycloud, we should get some sleep," he mewed quietly.

Merrycloud nodded and followed her father to where the other ShadowClan cats were beginning to make their nests. Though it was late at night, it appeared that almost every cat had stayed up to wait for the news about Larkleaf; Brookheart's kits, however, were already curled against her side within a crudely made nest, fast asleep.

Thorndancer was settling down, yawning, as Merrycloud passed her. "Hope you find us a new medicine cat," the silver she-cat muttered, laying her head on her front paws and curling her tail around her body. "Even if it is a kittypet."

"Check out Rushpelt," Badgerfur whispered to Merrycloud, who turned her head to look in the direction he flicked his tail. The black and white warrior was pacing restlessly as though not tired at all, lashing his tail and curling his lips back in a snarl.

"I suppose he's thinking about sinking his claws into Larkleaf's fur," Merrycloud sighed.

"It would be better for him if he didn't," Badgerfur replied. "After all, he's not the one who will defeat her, so who knows if he'd make it out alive."

Merrycloud's head shot up suddenly, making her feel a bit dizzy; the brown-furred warrior had to balance carefully in order to avoid being knocked from her paws. "Badgerfur!" she gasped, making sure to keep quiet enough that no other cat would hear her. "While… while we're gone to Twolegplace tomorrow… what if Larkleaf attacks?"

Badgerfur looked down, his tail drooping sadly. "I'm afraid there will be nothing we can do about that," he answered. "Hopefully, the combined forces of all four Clans will be enough to at least drive her off."

"I can't imagine that many cats not defeating her, though," Merrycloud pointed out.

Badgerfur shrugged. "All I know is, it's not in the prophecy."

Soon, Badgerfur and Merrycloud came upon Birdsong, who was sitting next to two empty nests. "I made these for you," the golden-and-grey she-cat mewed softly. "I hope you sleep well."

As Merrycloud padded towards the nearest nest, Birdsong reached out her tail to touch her shoulder. Merrycloud stopped and turned her head to face the cat who she had once believed to be her mother, and noticed with surprise that Birdsong was gazing at her with an expression that seemed sad, protective and caring, all at once.

"Merrycloud," Birdsong meowed, lowering her voice so that the brown she-cat had to strain her ears to hear. "Badgerfur told me that… that you know the truth about your family. He also told me about the prophecy – it's all so hard to take in, isn't it?" Glancing away, almost awkwardly, the beautiful warrior continued, "I just wanted you to know that… even if I wasn't your mother, I will always love you like a queen loves her kit." Birdsong once again faced Merrycloud as she finished, "Merrycloud, you will always be like a daughter to me."

Merrycloud could hardly thing of a thing to say; she was far too touched. Her heart overflowed with emotion, and almost without thinking, she mewed, "I love you too, Birdsong. I always will."

Birdsong's eyes shone gratefully, and she removed her tail from Merrycloud's shoulder. Her heart filled with renewed determination and strength, Merrycloud curled up in her nest and went to sleep.

Merrycloud's sleep was full of dreams, too far away and vague to understand or remember. However, one thing was certain – these dreams were not pleasant. She was relieved to finally open her eyes and see the newleaf sun overhead; Badgerfur stood over her, his pelt already neatly groomed.

"Let's go, Merrycloud," he said. "I saw you waking up, so I told Stripedstar and Lightningpelt to go ahead. They're waiting outside of Fourtrees."

"We've got to hurry, then!" Merrycloud gasped, scrambling to her paws. She licked down a patch of fur on her shoulder as quickly as possible, the dashed out of Fourtrees with Badgerfur at her heels.

Once outside the four protective oaks, Merrycloud saw her leader and the ThunderClan deputy standing side by side, talking quietly. Both cats turned at once as she and her father approached, a matching expression of somber importance on their faces. Merrycloud skidded to a stop, wondering what was wrong, and Badgerfur soon came to a halt beside her.

"Merrycloud, Badgerfur," Lightningpelt mewed, almost dismissively.

"We have something very important to discuss with you," Stripedstar said. "But not here – a cat might still hear. Come."

The ShadowClan leader bounded away, the rest of the tiny patrol following after him. Once they were several foxlengths from Fourtrees, he stopped and turned to face the others.

"Badgerfur, Merrycloud, Lightningpelt has something that he would like to say to you."

"What is it?" Merrycloud asked, inclining her head towards the golden deputy.

Lightningpelt's blue eyes shone with a hard seriousness that shocked Merrycloud. She had seen the ThunderClan tom more times within the past moon than seemed natural, but he had never appeared as cold and focused as he did today. When he opened his mouth to speak, his normally soothing voice also seemed crisper, firmer than usual.

"Keep in mind, please, that I don't know exactly what it is," he said; he seemed to be addressing Badgerfur and his daughter only, as he looked into each of their eyes in turn. Merrycloud shivered at the uncharacteristic frostiness of his gave, and secretly wished that the warm and mysterious Lightningpelt she knew would return – though both sides of the ThunderClan cat were equally confusing.

"However," the light golden tom continued, "It has come to my attention that the two of you are sharing some secret."

"What?" Badgerfur breathed, his voice seeming almost pained.

"Yes." Lightningpelt nodded, then swung his head to glare at Merrycloud, who gulped uneasily. "It has something to do with Larkleaf, does it not?"

Merrycloud was so shocked that she blurted out her next sentence without even thinking. "W-what? How could you possibly know?" she spluttered, suddenly feeling lightheaded. For a moment, she had to tread her paws against the ground to make sure they were still there; they seemed to have lost all feeling.

"So it's true, then," Stripedstar whispered solemnly. "I was a bit skeptical when Lightningpelt told me of his suspicions during his patrol last night, but I think that your reaction is all the evidence we need, Merrycloud."

Lightningpelt glanced at Stripedstar, seeming surprised; suddenly his muscles relaxed beneath his sunlight-colored fur, and a bit of warmth returned to his blue eyes, which had seemed like pieces of ice only moments before. "I didn't accuse them of anything_ wrong_, Stripedstar," he insisted, lashing his tail only slightly.

"If it involves Larkleaf, it can't be good!" the ShadowClan leader retorted, his tabby pelt bristling.

"Please!" Badgerfur begged, taking a step forward. "Just let us explain!"

Stripedstar gazed at the golden warrior, doubt and uncertainly flickering in his amber eyes. Finally, he dipped his head and mewed, "Fine. I will let you explain yourselves."

Looking up again, the grey leader added firmly, "But you'd better have a good explanation for this, or you may face banishment – or worse!"


	20. Chapter 18

**Warriors: The Darkest Season**

**Well, I don't know what to say. I expect updates to be a bit quicker from now on – hopefully.**

* * *

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

"It's easy to explain!" Merrycloud begged. "Really, it is!"

"Then explain," Stripedstar mewed firmly.

"Well… erm…" stammered Merrycloud, not completely sure that she wanted to tell her leader the truth behind her relationship with Larkleaf. If Stripedstar discovered that both Badgerfur and Birdsong had mated with non-Clan cats, who knew how much trouble the two of them could be in?

Badgerfur sighed, and Merrycloud turned her head to face him. "Don't worry, Stripedstar," the golden warrior said, and Merrycloud's eyes widened in shock. "I'll tell you."

Much to Merrycloud's surprise, her father told Stripedstar and Lightningpelt everything – from his first meeting with Hershey to the birth of Larkleaf, and even about Birdsong's mate, Comet the rogue. He went on to describe Merrycloud's birth, the prophecy, and what he thought it meant. When he had finished recounting everything that had happened, his bent his head and meowed, "I know what I deserve, Stripedstar, and I will accept any punishment that you wish to give me."

Stripedstar cast a sidelong glance at Lightningpelt, his eyes fully of questions, and the ThunderClan deputy nodded briskly. Turning back towards his warriors, the ShadowClan leader said, "Badgerfur, I believe that Larkleaf's recent actions are punishment enough, and that they more than make up for what you have done. And as for Birdsong… the son she had with this rogue is dead. I don't think there's much more that I can do to punish her for her actions, do you?"

"So… so you really believe us?" Merrycloud breathed, relief washing over her pelt. Too late, however, she realized what a suspicious thing that was to say.

"Lightningpelt?" Stripedstar mewed.

"They tell the truth, Stripedstar," the golden tom replied. "Shall we head on, then?"

"Wait just a moment," Badgerfur protested. "Stripedstar, why do you depend on the word of this –"

It was too late, however; Stripedstar and Lightningpelt had already turned and begun to pad on, towards ThunderClan territory.

With a sigh, Badgerfur turned to Merrycloud. "As much as I'd love to know what's going on, we don't have any more time to waste," he admitted. "We'd better catch up with them."

The four cats made their way past the Owl Tree, and as they approached Sunningrocks, Merrycloud noticed that Lightningpelt was beginning to fall back, towards the end of the group. Stripedstar and Badgerfur were now talking quietly at the front, and Merrycloud knew with a twinge of dread that the ThunderClan tom must have wanted to speak with her.

"So," Lightningpelt purred as he fell into step beside her. "I suppose you're wondering how I knew so much about your relations to Larkleaf?"

"Actually, yeah," Merrycloud replied, shooting a glance at her father. To her relief, she saw that he and Stripedstar were deeply absorbed in their conversation and were paying her no mind. Lowering her voice, she continued, "How is it that you seem to know so much? It's not just that… you knew that Badgerfur and I weren't lying, and you knew my warrior name before anyone told you – Thorndancer's, too. If I didn't know any better, I would almost think you were spying on me."

"Well, I wouldn't need to," Lightningpelt replied, staring straight ahead; there appeared to be a hint of amusement in his mew.

"What are you_ talking _about?" Merrycloud hissed. "You don't make any sense at all; I hope you know that."

"It started when I was an apprentice – or at least, that's when I first began to notice it." Merrycloud tried her best not to gaze up at the ThunderClan deputy as he spoke these words, knowing that keeping her eyes on the unfamiliar terrain would be much safer. Lightningpelt continued, "Lizardstar was deputy at the time – his name was Lizardtail. One day, Lizardtail was leading a patrol when he noticed a bit of RiverClan scent on our territory. Worried, he reported this to Greystar, who organized a battle patrol to attack RiverClan.

"However, I insisted that something didn't feel right about this plan. I was a fairly new apprentice at the time, and these claims were dismissed, either as fear of fighting or as a kit's wish for peace between Clans. Unknown to all of my Clanmates, there was an actual, intense feeling that began in the center of my heart and spread across my body until it was almost unbearable. I didn't know why, but I felt that attacking RiverClan would be a huge mistake.

"I was right."

"What happened?" Merrycloud breathed. A strange feeling had appeared within her own heart – a feeling of anticipation, mixed with just a small touch of dread.

"After quite a while, I was finally able to convince Greystar to send a smaller, more peaceful patrol, in order to talk with Flowerstar instead of challenge her Clan."

"I'll bet the juiciest mouse in the forest that she still wasn't very pleased," replied Merrycloud, thinking of how prickly and temperamental the RiverClan leader could be.

"And you'd get to eat that mouse, too," acknowledged Lightningpelt. "I was part of that patrol – it was my first major assignment as an apprentice, and I was more nervous than you could imagine. Flowerstar was as angry as the crankiest elder when Lizardtail told her what we had come to speak about, and she denied that any of her warriors had been on our territory. Lizardtail replied that though he would have liked to believe her, the evidence was much too overwhelming."

"Did a battle break out after all?" Merrycloud wondered aloud, but Lightningpelt shook his head.

"It very well may have, if it wasn't for the three tiny kits who spoke up and said that they had crossed the border to play at night. Because of them, a great battle was avoided."

"Not just because of them," pointed out Merrycloud. "It was because of you, too! But… how could you have known?"

"At the time, I didn't think anything of it," Lightningpelt admitted. "But Lizardtail did. At this time, he was already beginning to watch me – although I didn't know it. Later, I would find that it was that incident, along with several others like it, which led to my becoming ThunderClan deputy."

"Others?"

"Yes. Throughout my apprenticeship, I would have vague feelings that turned out to be important – for instance, I would always suggest the best places to hunt, and I could always tell which cats were up to no good. As I grew older, these feelings grew stronger, until I was even able to guess the names of cats I had never met before.

"This… ability of mine helped myself and my Clan so frequently that, though I was a new warrior when Lizardstar became leader, I was his first and only choice for deputy."

"I had just become an apprentice when Lizardstar was leader," Merrycloud said. "Lightningpelt, you're a lot younger than I would have guessed!"

Lightningpelt purred with amusement. "I may be the youngest deputy to ever walk the forest. But sometimes, I wonder if all of my achievements – in hunting, in battle, in serving my Clan – have been because of my gift, and not because of anything I have done. It can really keep a cat awake at night."

Not knowing what to say, Merrycloud kept silent.

"I believe that several cats – and maybe even all cats – have abilities similar to mine," Lightningpelt went on. "For instance, your warrior Frostpool seems to be an excellent judge of character. Though my ability does not tell me _everything_, I have seen this in her all my life. And there is one cat in WindClan –"

"Wait," Merrycloud interrupted. "If this ability of yours can tell you so much, why didn't you know from the start that Larkleaf was…" She trailed off, knowing that the ThunderClan deputy would understand what she was trying to say, with or without his gift.

"Oh, I had my suspicions about her from the start," the golden warrior admitted. "From the time your medicine cat, Silverwing, died, in fact. But something told me I should keep quiet – and now I can see why."

"She… she killed Silverwing, too?" Merrycloud gasped, but even as she said this, she realized what a mouse-brain she was for not figuring this out on her own.

Lightningpelt said nothing; instead, he stared straight ahead and continued to walk.

"Hey, you two!" called Badgerfur from up ahead. "We're here!"

With a start, Merrycloud realized that the patrol had, indeed, reached Twolegplace. "I had no idea we'd come this far," she mumbled, looking down at the ground. When she looked back up, she saw that Lightningpelt was gone; turning her head, she saw him bounding ahead, gaining on Stripedstar and Badgerfur.

"H-hey, wait for me!" she called, running after him.


	21. Chapter 19

**Warriors: The Darkest Season**

**Okay, so I started on this chapter immediately after posting the last. I feel accomplished. However… I took long enough to finish it. I'm really sorry, but it sort of slipped my mind. I'm going to give my real-life cat a brief role in this chapter, and I really hope that's okay with everyone.**

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**CHAPTER NINETEEN**

"So this is Twolegplace," breathed Merrycloud. It was so… different from the forest. With its sprawling fences and Twoleg nests stretching as far as the eye could see, it gave the warrior a sense of unease, as if a Twoleg would attack her at any moment. She shuddered, then followed the other cats as they continued on alongside the Thunderpath stretching between the nests.

Stripedstar spoke to the other cats without turning his head to look at them. "Remember, we're talking to any kittypet we can find. If they're hostile, it shouldn't be too difficult to fight them off – but if we get into any trouble, Badgerfur should run back for help."

"Fourtrees is too far," Badgerfur answered, sounding shocked. "I'd never get to help in time."

"It's worth a try," replied Stripedstar solemnly, and the patrol fell silent.

The silence continued for what seemed like moons, until finally Lightningpelt said, "As I'm sure you've noticed, there's a fork in the Thunderpath ahead. We should take the left side, I think."

Stripedstar nodded. "Got it. Thanks, Lightningpelt."

Only a few moments later, the cats came to the fork, and turned left as Lightningpelt had suggested. "Do you have any idea what we should do next?" Merrycloud asked.

Lightningpelt turned to Merrycloud's father. "Badgerfur, can you scent any kittypets?"

Badgerfur raised his muzzle into the air and sniffed. "Yes… there are two in the nest just to our right, and one further up ahead."

"We should check out the two right next to us," Stripedstar suggested, rather unnecessarily. "How close are they?"

"They seem to be behind the nest," Badgerfur answered. "I don't scent any Twolegs, but we should be careful."

The four cats cautiously walked to the back of the Twoleg nest. A fence surrounded a square of land behind it, and one by one the cats leaped over, taking care to stay quiet. As Merrycloud's paws hit the ground, one of the dumbfounded kittypet found her voice.

"What… what are you _doing _here?" shrieked the kittypet, a tortoiseshell with green eyes.

"Who are you?" hissed her companion, a ginger tabby tom. He was crouched down, fur bristling and blue eyes gleaming, as if he planned to attack at any moment.

_Can a kittypet really be that aggressive? _Merrycloud wondered.

Stripedstar stepped forward, seeming oddly calm despite the situation. "Greetings!" he called. "We are seeking –"

"Not on _our _territory, you're not!" the tom hissed.

"Alex, _what_ are they doing here?" the tortoiseshell hissed from between clenched teeth.

"I don't know," the tabby replied. "But it looks like we're going to have to teach them a lesson!" Darting forward, the kittypet swiped his unsheathed claws at Stripedstar's muzzle. The leader calmly sidestepped, allowing Alex to dart past him and catch only the air beneath his claws.

"I'll go get the housefolk!" the she-cat called, darting through a small, cat-sized flap attached to the bottom of the nest's entrance.

"Good idea, Jessica!" Alex exclaimed, facing the Clans cats with narrowed eyes.

"Do they think we're deaf?" Lightningpelt murmured.

"Either way, I don't really feel like dealing with Twolegs at the moment," Merrycloud replied, thinking of the Clan cats back at Fourtrees. The longer she was away, the more danger they were in.

Stripedstar nodded. "Agreed. I'll distract the kittypet, and you three escape. I'll catch up later."

There was no time to argue. Merrycloud, Badgerfur, and Lightningpelt each turned and bolted over the fence.

"Do you think he'll be all right?" Merrycloud asked, panting, as the three of them came to a stop several foxlengths later.

"He has several lives left," pointed out Badgerfur. "I'm sure those kittypets, if they manage to get him the first time, will be unprepared for that."

"You really think a kittypet could kill our leader?" Merrycloud mewed with disdain.

"They _were _unnaturally vicious," spoke up Lightningpelt. "I don't think that they'll be of much help in our search."

Merrycloud hated to admit it, but in the excitement of Jessica and Alex's attack, she had nearly forgotten the reason they had come. _We _have _to find a new medicine cat_, she thought. _But we also need to go back as soon as possible – before Larkleaf attacks again!_

"I'm sure we'll make it back in time," said Lightningpelt, and Merrycloud nearly jumped out of her fur.

"Oh, I _wish _you'd quit doing that!" she exclaimed, an air of exasperation in her voice.

"Doing what?" asked Badgerfur, and Merrycloud realized that her father did not yet know about Lightningpelt's gift.

"I'll tell you back at camp," she promised, glancing at Lightningpelt to make sure that he did not mind. Much to her relief, his eyes glinted with approval; Merrycloud was surprised that the ThunderClan deputy would allow this information to be disclosed to other Clans so leniently. _I should probably make Badgerfur promise not to tell any other cat._

A moment later, the thud of running paws sounded on the Thunderpath; Merrycloud turned to see Stripedstar running toward them. Apart from a wide, shallow gash across his left shoulder, the ShadowClan leader seemed unharmed.

"Well, we won't be getting any information from those two," he mewed as he approached the others. His tone was dismissive, almost as if the fight had never occurred at all, and he had simply been unable to persuade a difficult Clanmate. "Shall we go on?"

"Sure," Badgerfur replied slowly, raising his nose to scent the air once more. "The next kittypet is a few foxlengths ahead, in a nest to the left."

"All right," Stripedstar meowed. "Let's go."

The four cats walked on in a heavy silence, finally approaching the third kittypet's nest. Like the previous nest, an enclosed square of land was behind; the cats quickly climbed the fence and dropped onto the grass, muscles tensed in case this cat was as confrontational as the others.

"Hey," a small voice squeaked as the Clan cats leaped into his territory. "Who are you?"

Looking around, Merrycloud's eyes rested on a tiny, golden-eyed tom with black fur. Though he was smaller than the average apprentice, Merrycloud thought that he was about the age she had been when Lizardstar became a leader. He looked sleepy, as if he were about to take a nap; Merrycloud felt almost guilty that the Clan cats would prevent him from doing so.

"My name is Stripedstar, leader of ShadowClan," the huge tabby explained. "My friends and I are seeking a cat to help us – one skilled in the ways of medicine."

"I'm Emmett," the small tom said. "What's the cat's name? I might be able to help, but I'm not sure."

"We don't know exactly what cat we're looking for," said Badgerfur. "We just know that we need to find them."

The kittypet blinked. "You're kind of weird," he mewed drowsily. "But if you really need to know… my brother, Drew, is a loner. I haven't seen him in a while, but he knew about herbs and stuff. He said he learned from another loner… I'm not really sure where he is right now, but I know that he's been to this place with, um… high cliffs, and a cave, and a glittery stone in the tunnels…"

"That's Highstones!" gasped Lightningpelt.

"Thanks for your help, Emmett," Stripedstar said, dipping his head in gratitude.

"No problem," Emmett answered with a yawn. "If you ever need anything else, you can ask me, ok? One of my housefolk says I have ninja skills."

_What is that supposed to mean? _thought Merrycloud. Glancing at Stripedstar, she could tell that her leader was confused as well.

"Erm… all right," the tabby said, bowing his head once again. "We will never forget what you have done for us, Emmett of Twolegplace."

The Clan cats turned and scrambled over the fence, setting their paws back towards Fourtrees. "What shall we do next, Stripedstar?" asked Lightningpelt.

"We'll go back to Fourtrees," Stripedstar replied, "and then you three can get a nice, long rest. I'll organize another patrol to go to Highstones with me."

_I'll be able to stay and protect the Clan! _Relief washed all through Merrycloud's body, almost as if she had stepped into a river of well-being.

The cats journeyed on in silence, expecting the others to be excited when they returned with their news.

What they did not expect were the wails of grief that echoed through Fourtrees like a yowl through a canyon.


	22. Chapter 20

**Warriors: The Darkest Season**

**Okay, I'm trying to get back into the habit of regular updates. Let's hope that works out for me.**

* * *

**CHAPTER TWENTY**

Merrycloud's heart raced as she dashed into Fourtrees, her paws stirring the dust around her and kicking up dirty clouds. Badgerfur gave a cough behind her, but she could hear that his footsteps did not falter. Both she and her father, along with Stripedstar and Lightningpelt, were running at full speed now; the fact that Lightningpelt seemed urgent, even though he probably already knew what had happened, only made Merrycloud more anxious.

Coming to a halt once she reached the other Clans, she heard Birdsong call to her. "Merrycloud, Badgerfur, Stripedstar! Come quickly!"

The three ShadowClan cats hurried towards the sound of her voice, leaving Lightningpelt to find his own Clanmates. When they found the golden-and-grey she-cat, Merrycloud saw with a lurching heart that her denmate was standing over the limp body of a cat.

"It's Rushpelt," Stripedstar observed quietly.

"What… what happened?" asked Badgerfur.

"He went off on his own… to find Larkleaf," Birdsong explained, her voice sounding raspy and forced. "We tried to stop him… a few of us followed him, tried to get him to turn back. He wouldn't listen, and managed to get away from us for a while. And when we found him… well…"

A moment of silence followed. When it was clear that Birdsong would say nothing more, Badgerfur simply said, "He's with Cloudsong and Breezefoot now."

It was strange… Rushpelt had been such an annoyance to the Clan during his life, but now that he was gone, even the thought that he was now with his parents failed to quench the burning despair in Merrycloud's heart.

_If I had been here, this might not have happened._

"But who will sit vigil for him?" Birdsong whispered.

"I will," offered Merrycloud, but Stripedstar shook his head.

"No, you won't," said the tabby leader. "I told you – you, Badgerfur, and Lightningpelt are going to rest."

"I'll have to sit vigil myself, I suppose," sighed Birdsong.

"I'll sit with you," offered Brookheart, who was padding towards Rushpelt's body. "Foxfang is watching our kits while they sleep."

"Thanks, Brookheart," Birdsong mewed.

"Before you go to your nests, I'm going to have to announce to everyone what Emmett told us," Stripedstar said, addressing Badgerfur and Merrycloud. "We'll also have to pay our respects to Rushpelt, of course."

"Emmett?" asked Birdsong. "Is that the new medicine cat?"

"Not exactly," Stripedstar mewed. "You'll see in a moment."

The leader turned and dashed towards the Great Rock, and not long after was yowling from its tip. Every cat in the clearing turned towards him, an expectancy clear on their faces and in the air.

"Cats of all Clans," Stripedstar began. "I am deeply saddened to see the loss of a Clanmate directly upon my return. We will, of course, have a burial and a vigil for him. Lightstorm, Stormtail, I expect that the two of you will perform the burial as usual?"

Merrycloud looked around until she spotted her Clan elders, nodding their heads grimly. Once again she felt a dark twist of guilt; a sense that if she'd never gone to Twolegplace, Rushpelt would still be alive.

"I do have better news, fortunately," the ShadowClan leader continued, his muscles rippling softly beneath his dark tabby pelt. "While in Twolegplace, my companions and I met a kittypet named Emmett. He told us that his brother, Drew, knows about herbs, and that he has been to the Moonstone."

The clearing suddenly broke out into a chorus of excited mews. Every Clan was excited; this news was not only for ShadowClan to hear.

Stripedstar did not try to quiet the chatter, but simply raised his voice above the noise. "I will be heading to the Moonstone with another patrol in order to search for signs of this loner. Listen carefully for your name." The ShadowClan leader then began to list off the names of cats from his Clan. "Smolderfur, Lionblood, and Frostpool. I wish for the three of you to accompany me on this journey. Since Highstones is quite a bit nearer than Twolegplace, I believe that will be enough cats for this patrol." Before bounding down from the stone, Stripedstar added, "We leave at dawn. Make sure you are rested before we go!"

Rushpelt's burial was next. Merrycloud felt a deep sense of both sadness at the loss of a Clanmate and responsibility for his death. She wished she could sit vigil for him with Birdsong, but remembering Stripedstar's orders, the brown warrior headed straight for her nest as soon as Stormtail and Lightstorm had carried away the body.

Just as Merrycloud was beginning to lie down, Thorndancer came running up. "Merrycloud! I want to say so much!" the silver she-cat exclaimed; she then began bouncing from one paw to the next, seeming unable to keep still. "Tell me about Twolegplace. What was… Emmett? Yeah, that's the name. What was Emmett like? Can you _believe _that both Smolderfur _and _Lionblood are going tomorrow? I really hope they come back safely! Are you going to see them off? _I _am, even if I have to stay up all night! In fact –"

"Thorndancer!" Merrycloud snapped, cutting her friend off. Calmly, she continued, "Stripedstar ordered me to get some rest. Why don't you go sit vigil for Rushpelt, with Birdsong and Brookheart?" In truth, Merrycloud wasn't completely sure that her talkative friend could handle yet another night of silence.

Thorndancer looked hurt for a moment, but then understanding shone in her eyes. "Sure," she agreed. "I think Rushpelt would have wanted that…" with a sigh, she leaned over and whispered into Merrycloud's ear. "Did you know he was in love with me?"

Merrycloud was startled. "That can't be right!" she exclaimed. "_Rushpelt_?"

Thorndancer shot her a glare, and Merrycloud fell silent, sensing the stares of other cats – cats who probably thought that she was being disrespectful to her dead Clanmate.

"It's true," the silver warrior answered, without raising her voice. "He told me so himself. It was a long time ago, though."

"What did you tell him?" Merrycloud asked, remembering to whisper this time.

"I told him that my heart belonged to Smolderfur," Thorndancer said, a bit of amusement seeping into the tones of grief. "Of course, I wouldn't have answered that way if he'd told me more recently. I've matured a lot in the last moon… I think we all have."

"You've _matured_?" Merrycloud teased. "I certainly haven't noticed!"

"Well… I don't want to completely lose my personality," Thorndancer explained. "I _like _being energetic, and I really do like Smolderfur. I've just been learning to keep myself in check… because with all that's been going on lately, it hasn't really been appropriate to babble like a brook all the time."

"I see your point," Merrycloud said.

"Well, I'm off to sit vigil," Thorndancer mewed. "I'll see you in the morning, Merrycloud."

"Good night, Thorndancer," Merrycloud said, curling up into her nest at last.

For what seemed like moons, however, she could not fall asleep. She was sure that if she did, her mind would be filled with nightmares – nightmares of Larkleaf, of Rushpelt, of loners prowling through Highstones. Even if Emmett's brother Drew really was meant to be ShadowClan's new medicine cat, Merrycloud couldn't shake the eeriness of the thought that a strange cat had been sneaking around Clan territory.

When Merrycloud finally did manage to doze off, her sleep was more restful that she imagined. However, just before she awoke to the light of a new morning, one dream did work itself into her subconscious.

In the dream, Merrycloud was standing alone at the Moonstone, gazing up at the large, glowing rock. As she watched the light reflect off of the stone in beautiful, dazzling patterns, the shadow of a cat stepped out from behind the mystical boulder.

Merrycloud could not make out any features; it was as if the cat were truly a shadow, black and wispy and blending with other vague silhouettes. The only things to set it apart from true shadows were its glowing golden eyes, a much brighter shade than the kittypet Emmett's.

Merrycloud awoke with a feeling of terror as real as if Larkleaf were standing over her, claws unsheathed.


	23. Chapter 21

**Warriors: The Darkest Season**

**We're in the final stretch now, guys. If everything works out the way I want it to, then these next few chapters may very well be the last. It's not over just **_**yet**_**, but I still want to thank you for staying with me this long, even when I was slow to update. Now, let's see what happens next to Merrycloud and the others…**

* * *

**CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE**

"Good luck, Lionblood."

"Thanks, Merrycloud."

"Stripedstar, Lionblood, Frostpool, Smolderfur! I really hope you make it back safely!"

"We'll certainly try, Thorndancer."

"You don't need to worry about us."

"Hurry home!"

Merrycloud watched as her Clanmates began their journey to Highstones, Thorndancer by her side. She had only been to Highstones once in her life, but she could remember details about the expedition that were not to be shared with the faint of heart. _At least this time I'll be staying to help my Clan… all of the Clans,_ she told herself. _Maybe we can defeat Larkleaf without any more casualties._

As she walked to the hastily-made fresh-kill pile that ThunderClan had constructed near the top left oak, Merrycloud couldn't help but think about her impending fight with the evil medicine cat. Would she be forced to kill her own sister? Even if Larkleaf wasn't exactly the friendliest of cats, the thought of it still made Merrycloud shudder in her fur.

Merrycloud absentmindedly picked out a small squirrel, while the Clan deputies organized a patrol of Fourtrees' border from the Great Rock. As the patrol headed out, Merrycloud lay down to eat with a sigh. Badgerfur joined her some time later, a lizard in his jaws.

"What's wrong, Merrycloud?" he asked, sitting down next to his daughter.

Merrycloud sighed again. "It's just… well, if I'd been here instead of at Twolegplace, maybe Larkleaf wouldn't have killed Rushpelt."

Badgerfur blinked sympathetically. "It's not your fault," he mewed. "Rushpelt… he would have run off on his own, whether you were here or not. You couldn't have stopped him… and I think you know that."

Merrycloud stared down at her paws. "I know that Rushpelt would have… well, been Rushpelt, no matter what I did to stop him. But if I'd known…"

"It's _not _your fault," Badgerfur repeated, and he might have said more if Lightningpelt hadn't padded towards them at that moment.

"Badgerfur, Merrycloud," the ThunderClan deputy greeted them, dipping his head. "How was your night?"

"Good," Merrycloud lied, pushing the image of the shadowy cat from her dreams into the corner of her mind. "And yours?"

"Fine," mewed Lightningpelt. Something in his eyes told Merrycloud that he hadn't believed her answer – though she couldn't imagine why she'd tried to lie to Lightningpelt, of all cats, in the first place.

Lightningpelt glanced up at Yellowtail, the last remaining deputy on the Great Rock, who was just turning to walk back to the ground. Looking at Merrycloud and her father, the golden deputy said, "I'll just come out and say it – I have a feeling that something is going to happen soon. Something… bad."

"Is the patrol going to run into trouble?" Badgerfur asked, the shock in his voice matching Merrycloud's inner dismay.

Lightningpelt said nothing.

Merrycloud hoped that the golden tom would speak, but after several moments had passed and it was evident that he did not plan to, she snapped, "Well, Lightningpelt, what is it?"

Lightningpelt looked down at her. "Merrycloud, are you prepared for battle?"

And then, Merrycloud understood.

* * *

Merrycloud couldn't sleep that night; her mind was too full of thoughts. Most of the thoughts involved her eventual confrontation with Larkleaf, which very well may have been just around the corner, but at the same time her brain seemed to find it amusing to engage itself with trivial things every now and then. She was just trying to remember the best way to stalk a vole when she decided she'd had enough; it was time to clear her thoughts and decide what to actually do.

Standing up and pacing in a circle around her nest, Merrycloud went over her options. The first thing she could do was simply wait until Larkleaf came near Fourtrees again – or even lost all reason and came into the midst of the Clan cats.

Well, _that _was quite obviously a terrible plan. The guilt of Rushpelt's death still hung heavy on her heart, no matter how many times she tried to shake it; if she waited for Larkleaf to attack, she'd be risking other injuries and deaths. No, it just wasn't worth it.

The only other thing that Merrycloud saw as an option was to seek out the killer on her own. It would _have _to be on her own – Merrycloud was the cat of the prophecy, after all, and so she knew that she couldn't die without at least taking Larkleaf out with her. Any other cat would be fair game to the murderous medicine cat.

If it weren't for the prophecy, Merrycloud would never have even considered such a thing. Knowing that she would definitely be the one to put an end to this dark season, however, was enough to give her strength and courage. _Yes_, Merrycloud decided, _I have to do this._

Merrycloud pricked her ears, listening for sounds that would indicate that any other cat was awake. Hearing nothing, she slunk off silently towards the border of Fourtrees, careful to step around the sleeping bodies of the Clans.

As Merrycloud approached the furthest right tree ahead of her, she was taken by surprise when a cat rose from his nest and began to walk towards her. She cringed reflexively, expecting to be scolded or rushed back inside – after all, there were only a handful of cats who knew about the prophecy, and most of them weren't in ThunderClan.

_Wait – ThunderClan! That scent is –_

"Going somewhere?" a voice mewed quietly in the darkness, and eyes glowing blue stared at the brown she-cat out of a dark silhouette.

"Don't scare me like that, Lightningpelt," Merrycloud sighed. "But… yeah, I am."

She wasn't sure what she expected the ThunderClan deputy to say. However, one thing was certain – she expected him to say a lot more than he actually did.

"Good luck," said Lightningpelt. The head of the silhouette nodded, eyes bobbing among the dark blue and black shades of the night. With only that, the ThunderClan cat turned and settled back into his nest.

Merrycloud stepped out of the safety of Fourtrees with a new resolve, all hesitation gone. There were cats depending on her – even Lightningpelt, with his gift of knowledge, was not completely safe from the evil that lurked in the shadows. Because she was a ShadowClan cat, her eyes did not take long to adjust to the dark; and once they had, moving through the undergrowth was as simple for Merrycloud as it would be for any other cat in the daytime.

Merrycloud bent her head to sniff the ground, taking in the scents of the earth. There was squirrel, and a hint of snake, a bit of stale fox, and…

Larkleaf.

Lifting her head and tasting the air, Merrycloud could tell that the scent was fresh. It led towards RiverClan camp; the brown ShadowClan warrior suppressed a shudder. Of course she could always take the bridge to get into the camp, but the river could be a potential problem if she had to fight… and if Flowerstar discovered that Merrycloud had been in her territory, there was bound to be trouble.

That was unimportant, Merrycloud knew. As long as Larkleaf was defeated, all other Clan squabbles would seem petty in comparison.

Something occurred to her suddenly. Her decision to chase down Larkleaf had been built entirely on impulse, and the reality of the situation had never fully settled into Merrycloud's mind. Larkleaf may have been demented, twisted, and a danger to every cat, but she and Merrycloud were _sisters_. Merrycloud would have to fight her, and maybe even…

Shaking herself to clear the thought from her head, Merrycloud pressed on, following the scent. As she walked in the direction of RiverClan's camp, Merrycloud realized that being a warrior had never seemed more real, more dangerous…


	24. Chapter 22

**Warriors: The Darkest Season**

**CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO**

Merrycloud's heart raced as she padded slowly over the slightly rickety bridge that led across the river and into RiverClan territory. Because of her ShadowClan heritage, the dark did not scare her, and even the thought that the bridge might collapse beneath her did not cross her mind. The confrontation with Larkleaf was all that she could think about.

_It's okay, _she told herself. _The prophecy says…_

However, she couldn't even bring herself to finish that thought. As much as Merrycloud wished that she wasn't, she was beginning to doubt the prophecy; this was a dangerous thing, because without the assurance that she would win, the warrior could feel her courage draining away.

_The prophecy said I would win, _she thought.

The voice in her head retorted, _But it didn't say you would live…_

Merrycloud set one paw through the reeds and into RiverClan's camp, and then another.

For several moments, she was silent. The scent of Larkleaf's pelt in the air was amazingly obvious – and amazingly fresh. The golden murderer was _here_, Merrycloud knew. Swallowing nervously, she called out, "All right, Larkleaf, you can come out now!" Her voice shook a bit more than she had wanted it to.

There was a sudden chill in the air, and Merrycloud almost shivered; deep inside, she knew that the cold was not the only reason. However, nothing moved. Half-closing her eyes and reassuring herself that everything would be fine, Merrycloud stepped completely through the barrier of reeds and into a large island clearing. Shells littered the ground beneath her paws, and she could not help twitching uncomfortably.

"I know you're here," Merrycloud growled, suddenly more angry than afraid. "And I'm here to put a stop to your cold-blooded murders, once and for all!"

"Is that so?" a voice purred amusedly from the shadows, and Merrycloud thought she saw a dark shape slip between two almost-dying willow trees. "Might we talk it over first?"

Merrycloud gritted her teeth; Larkleaf was teasing her. "What is there to discuss? You've murdered so many cats, and from every Clan, including your own! I suppose that if I were to ask you anything, it would have to be… why did you do it?"

"Why? It's simple, really," the shadow voice meowed. "I was a medicine cat. I deserved respect. But did I ever truly _get _any? Of course not! Even though I was the most powerful cat in ShadowClan, my Clanmates still feared Stripedstar more than me. I had to find a different way to instill fear, to get the respect I truly deserved. I was a medicine cat, and my Clanmates needed to recognize my power!"

"No one _fears _Stripedstar," snapped Merrycloud, who had the disturbing feeling that Larkleaf was circling her in the darkness, getting closer than was comfortable. "We obey his authority as leader because we admire him. He is a strong and brave cat who worked hard to become our leader, and he is respected by even cats from other Clans. He is respected because he is kind and fair, not because he instilled terror in us in any way."

"Oh, Merrycloud," the voice sighed, and a daylight-colored she-cat slinked out of the darkness to stand in the moonlight. At the moment, Larkleaf looked anything but menacing. "Why do you insist on challenging me? You know that you will lose. You're just like all those other cats, you know. I can see that you understand it – you're simply no match for me."

"But I'm _not _just like the other cats," Merrycloud retorted. "I'm different."

In only a moment, she was struck by an idea that spread itself out quickly throughout her body. Perhaps there was a way to solve this conflict with words – to create sympathy and remorse within Larkleaf's rock-hard heart.

"What would you say if I told you the truth?" she mewed, taking a step towards the former medicine cat – whether it was bravery or stupidity encouraging her on, she could not tell. "What would you say if I told you that you really _were _Clanborn? Larkleaf, Badgerfur is your father – you and I are sisters."

Even in the darkness, she thought that she saw Larkleaf's eyes stretch wide, though for only a moment. A thrill of hope fluttered within her chest, until only a heartbeat later, the golden and white murderer hissed, "I don't care."

Merrycloud could see Larkleaf's body tense and her paws begin to tread the ground, claws sheathing and unsheathing repeatedly.

"I don't care," she repeated. "I don't! What _should _I care? Killing Silverwing and becoming the Clan's only medicine cat didn't make them respect me." A horrible glint appeared in her eyes as she continued, "But now that several cats are gone, gone forever… _now _they fear me."

"You're right," Merrycloud agreed. "They _do _fear you." She took another step forward, unsheathing her claws. "But soon they won't have to. There's a prophecy, Larkleaf – a prophecy that I, your sister, born of the dusk and dawn just as you were, will defeat you."

Larkleaf's breath seemed to catch in her throat. Then, "You lie. StarClan never told me of such a prophecy."

"And why would they?" Merrycloud retorted, circling her blood sister, never taking her eyes from the murderous medicine cat's unmoving form. "Do you really think that you've deserved any warning?"

Stopping in front of Larkleaf, Merrycloud looked her sister in the eye. "Larkleaf, it is time for this to end."

A yowl escaped from Larkleaf's throat as she leaped towards Merrycloud in one fluid motion.

Merrycloud had been attacked by Larkleaf once before, and she had been terrified. But everything was different now, and she jumped quickly out of the way; Larkleaf slid into the ground where Merrycloud had been standing, a half-uttered curse on her lips.

"Now, Larkleaf, do you really think it's proper to use such language?" Merrycloud scolded, narrowing her eyes. She was surprised at her own bravery, darting away once again as a furious Larkleaf catapulted towards her.

_Come on Merrycloud; you can't do this forever!_

Suddenly, Merrycloud remembered the move she had used on Thorndancer out of anger during their last training session. It was risky, but…

Taking a deep breath, Merrycloud leaped through the air and landed on Larkleaf's back.

She had meant to then swipe at her sister's sides, then bound off of her back in one powerful leap using her hind legs. However, she had only been able to take a few swipes when Larkleaf abruptly ducked, rolled over, and twisted herself until she was standing over Merrycloud. Merrycloud gasped as her sister raised a paw high, unsheathed claws gleaming, and stared down at her neck with hunger in her glowing green eyes. Shutting her eyes tightly, the warrior could not help but think, _Was the prophecy wrong?_

Merrycloud's eyes snapped open. How could she have forgotten the move she'd learned when she was practically still a kit? The world that had lapsed into slow motion suddenly sped up again as she raked her claws across Larkleaf's belly.

The golden and white killer yowled in shock and pain, and Merrycloud took the opportunity to scramble out from under her pin. She rushed at Larkleaf, hoping to pin her sister in return, but the medicine cat recovered quickly and dashed towards Merrycloud as well.

They impacted in a tangle of fur, tails, legs, and teeth; the force of their collision sent them rolling. Larkleaf battered at Merrycloud's exposed stomach with her hind paws; Merrycloud gritted her teeth and endured the pain, dodging Larkleaf's occasional attempts at biting her neck.

All of a sudden, Merrycloud heard a rumbling noise ahead of them; they were almost directly upon it. Daring to lift her head for a fraction of a second, she located its source and gasped.

_The river!_

* * *

**By the way, did you notice that at the start of the battle I began referring to Larkleaf as "her sister?" That's supposed to show that even in the heat of their fight, Merrycloud still can't forget that they share the same blood…**


	25. Chapter 23

**Warriors: The Darkest Season**

**Sorry about the intense amount of time it took me to update. I had some sever writer's block on this chapter, ugh! I really just hope it was worth it, and that you're not **_**too **_**disappointed.**

* * *

**CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE**

"Larkleaf!" Merrycloud gasped. "Please… we'll both drown!"

Larkleaf paid no attention and lunged for Merrycloud's neck once again. Merrycloud twisted to the left, and Larkleaf's teeth instead found her shoulder. The golden she-cat did not let go once her teeth had sunk in, and Merrycloud could feel her fur becoming sticky with a thick, welling liquid. She barely noticed her wound, however; her eyes were still fixated upon the river, which was now directly ahead of them.

_SPLASH!_

The water became red the moment the two fighting cats touched its surface. Merrycloud kicked desperately at Larkleaf, trying to free herself from the grip of the deranged cat's teeth; whether Larkleaf was truly intending to kill her or not, Merrycloud could not tell. It seemed to her that the former medicine cat had completely lost all sense of reason; she was not even trying to escape from the rushing torrent of the river as it pushed the two cats along, as if she could not tell that her own life was in danger.

Finally, Merrycloud managed to free herself with a mighty kick that sent her flying far away from her attacker through the torrents. She desperately swiped at the water in an attempt to keep her head above its surface, her head angled back so much that it was uncomfortable. She didn't know how long she'd been swept through the river before something knocked against her and pushed her onto the shore, but she was immensely grateful, gasping in an attempt to fill her lungs with the air they so desperately needed.

It was not long before Larkleaf approached, pulled along by the waters, thrashing about her limbs in a mad frenzy. Something twisted in Merrycloud's heart just then, and she could not deny that she wanted to save Larkleaf's life. After all, they were sisters, and Merrycloud would never be able to forgive herself if she simply allowed her own kin to die.

She rushed forward, towards the older she-cat, yelling as she went, "Larkleaf, I'll help you!"

Merrycloud ducked down as she approached Larkleaf and attempted to grab her sister's scruff in her jaws; Larkleaf thrashed about, managing to twist and swipe her claws across Merrycloud's muzzle. Blood tricked down, but Merrycloud ignored it and ran alongside Larkleaf as the medicine cat continued to be swept down the river.

"Larkleaf, I'm trying to save your life!" Merrycloud pleaded. "Let me help!"

Larkleaf glared at her for one moment, pure hatred shining in her hard green eyes. Suddenly, a rush of water knocked Larkleaf under the surface of the river, and Merrycloud held her breath, horrified.

Several long seconds went by, and Larkleaf did not resurface.

Merrycloud's heart hammered when, finally, the body of a cat appeared. She held her breath for what seemed like an eternity – watching, waiting – and could not find it again when she realized that the cat in the river was not moving. Many more moments passed, and suddenly Merrycloud's entire body became alive. She raced towards the body, hyperventilating madly.

"Larkleaf!" she yowled, her voice cracking as it carried on the wind; she had no doubt that every cat back at Fourtrees could hear her grief-filled wail.

Merrycloud ran as fast as she could, but could not catch up as Larkleaf was swept down the river. Forcing herself to run somehow faster, Merrycloud was shocked at the odd mixture of emotions and thoughts swirling throughout her. She strongly wished that there was a way that Larkleaf could live… but at the same time, she knew that her sister was far too dangerous to be allowed to stalk the forest. Her deepest feeling, however, was the wish that there was some way that Larkleaf could have been saved…

Merrycloud was ready to collapse when she finally caught up to Larkleaf's body. It was being pushed against a rock by the river's current, unmoving and limp. Merrycloud allowed herself to fall then, landing on the ground with a soft crash, and not daring to move for as long as possible.

* * *

It was morning when Merrycloud was nudged awake; looking up, she saw without much surprise that Lightningpelt was the one who had awoken her.

"I guess you know what happened," Merrycloud murmured, not bothering to stand up.

"Actually, yes," Lightningpelt agreed, "but my sense didn't tell me this time. Everyone noticed you were missing, and Yellowtail asked me to find you." With a sigh, he added, "You have no idea how relieved they'll all be – I'm actually quite relieved myself."

"You mean you didn't know immediately?" Merrycloud asked, surprised.

Lightningpelt shrugged. "Even StarClan don't know everything – sometimes we like to think that they do, but as long as they've existed, they haven't been around since the formation of the very universe. There are some questions that they simply cannot answer – and if that's the case, then why should _I _know everything? I am only a cat, as are you."

Merrycloud shook her head, and her ears rang. "You're more than that," she gasped as she rose to her paws. "You're the cat who became deputy when he was still a new warrior. You're the cat who can use his special ability to prevent unnecessary wars. You're the cat who –"

Lightningpelt cut her off. "That may be, Merrycloud, but I am also _not _many things. I am not, for example, the cat who has just saved all four Clans."

With a gasp, Merrycloud suddenly realized the reality of what had happened the night before. Whirling around on unsteady paws and nearly toppling to the ground, she glanced at the river and saw that Larkleaf's body was no longer beside the rock; however, the water was still as red as it had been during her fight with the rogue medicine cat, as red as blood…

It was hard for her to believe that it was really all over. Larkleaf had driven the Clans to terror for what had seemed like an eternity – but had it really been only a few days? Had Merrycloud's climactic battle with her sister really only taken a few moments? Had a few blinks of a cat's eye been all the time it took for Larkleaf to…

Die?

Shaking her head, Merrycloud looked back up at Lightningpelt. "I didn't do anything," she told him. "Larkleaf drowned in the river."

"Why was she _in _the river?" Lightningpelt replied; something in his eyes told Merrycloud that the golden tom knew the answer already.

"We… we were fighting," Merrycloud admitted.

"You see?" Lightningpelt said. "If you hadn't chased after her, foolish as it was to do so, there's really no chance that she would have fallen in on her own. Whether you meant to kill her or not, which I'm rather sure you didn't… the prophecy has been fulfilled."

"I'm not even completely sure she's dead," Merrycloud protested, somehow unwilling to believe what she had seen with her own eyes.

Lightningpelt was silent for some time. "I can sense that the danger is over," he mewed at last. "We should be getting back to our Clans now." The ThunderClan deputy turned and began to walk back towards Fourtrees, and Merrycloud chased after him.

"This is going to be goodbye, isn't it?" Merrycloud asked, her voice coming out quieter, more strained than she had meant for it to.

Lightningpelt looked down at her without saying a word. When he finally turned his head away to stare straight ahead, he answered. "Yes."

There was something odd about the way Lightningpelt said that word, that one simple syllable, but for the life of her Merrycloud could not figure out what it was. She thought it rather strange that this ThunderClan cat had become so closely entwined with her own life during this dangerous season, and that despite the fact that Larkleaf's reign of terror had not lasted as long as it had seemed, she almost felt as if he were her own Clanmate who had grown up beside her. It would be hard to say goodbye, much harder than it should have been.

Lightningpelt remained silent as the two cats walked back to their Clanmates, and Merrycloud dared not speak. She wondered if he somehow knew what she was thinking, or if his powers even gave him that ability. They had just reached the edge of Fourtrees when the ThunderClan deputy came to a sudden stop.

"What is it?" Merrycloud asked.

"I can hear something," Lightningpelt murmured. "I think it's Stripedstar – he has uncanny timing, doesn't he?" At that moment, the ShadowClan leader appeared from the bushes, followed by Lionblood, Smolderfur, a lightly bleeding Frostpool, and a strange grey tabby.

"Merrycloud? Lightningpelt?" Stripedstar asked with surprise. "What are you two doing out here?"

Lightningpelt stepped forward, dipping his head towards Stripedstar. "Larkleaf is dead," he explained.

Stripedstar stared at Merrycloud in disbelief. "Did she…?"

Lightningpelt nodded.

"Frostpool, what happened to your ear?" Merrycloud asked.

"There was a rat," Frostpool replied hastily. "Merrycloud, I… I can't believe this! You killed Larkleaf?"

"Not intentionally…" Merrycloud answered. "I really meant to capture her, or run her off, or something. But it's true… she is dead."

"That's wonderful!" Lionblood exclaimed, and even Smolderfur seemed excited, his eyes lighting up happily. "We won't have to live in fear anymore!"

"Yes, but the death of a cat is not wonderful, no matter how terrible they were," Merrycloud sighed; as hard as she tried, she could not shake off the knowledge that she and Larkleaf had been kin, though she realized that nothing could have been done to save her sister from her own madness.

Frostpool looked at Merrycloud with confusion, and Lightningpelt quickly changed the subject. "And who is this, Stripedstar?" he asked, nodding towards the grey tabby. "Emmett's brother Drew, I assume?"

Stripedstar nodded. "Correct. You probably wouldn't believe how hard we had to fight to convince him to come with us – but I'll tell that story at the next Gathering."

Lightningpelt's eyes shone good-naturedly. "I look forward to that, Stripedstar. I assume that our four Clans will go their separate ways today."

Stripedstar nodded. "Yes… Even this brief period of alliance cannot shadow the fact that we are, and always have been, rivals."

"But always remember that the code _does _permit friendships between Clans," Lightningpelt pointed out. "In that sense, this isn't a goodbye – not really."

Merrycloud could not help purring a bit at hearing those words. It was true; she would still be able to see Lightningpelt at Gatherings, and her friend Shallowstone from WindClan as well. Of course, there was always the dark knowledge that she and her friends, whom she loved as dearly as her own Clanmates, may one day meet in battle.

"Well, shall we go deliver the good news?" asked Drew, speaking for the first time. "I didn't let you drag me out here from Mothermouth just so that we could stand around chattering like birds all day."

Amusement lit Stripedstar's eyes. "He has a point," he admitted. "Shall we?"

Merrycloud padded into Fourtrees, alongside her Clanmates, Lightningpelt, and ShadowClan's new medicine cat. Cats erupted into cheers, relieved sighs, and mews of surprise as the seven of them entered the clearing, and Merrycloud was nearly knocked over by the feeling of joy and relief shared by every cat in Fourtrees.

As Stripedstar and Lightningpelt stepped forward to address the Clans, Merrycloud told herself that tonight, even if no one else would join her, she would sit vigil for Larkleaf, safe within the walls of her own camp.

* * *

**Buuuuut, this isn't the last chapter! There will be an epilogue to finish up the story and tie up a few loose ends. I can't believe that after this year-long journey, The Darkest Season is actually coming to a close. Thank you, all of you, for being such great reviewers, helpers, friends, and whatever other roles you've filled as I wrote and you read. I didn't expect this amount of positive feedback, but I'll surely never forget about it.**


	26. Epilogue

**Warriors: The Darkest Season**

**This is it. The end. It's hard to believe – I've been working on this story for a year, and it seems almost natural! I don't think I'll be writing in the world of Warriors for a while now, but I will continue to write, and at the end of this final installment, I'll tell you what you can expect from me in the future.**

* * *

**EPILOGUE**

"Thorndancer, I'm taking Rosepaw out for a hunting session. Will you and the kits be okay on your own?"

The silver queen purred with amusement. "Really, Lionblood – when have you known me to _not _take care of myself?"

Lionblood rolled his eyes, though his tone remained good-natured. "You still haven't shaken off your mischievous streak, and you haven't been able to stop getting into trouble quite yet," he pointed out.

"Oh, just go," Merrycloud teased, nudging her friend's shoulder. "I'll make sure she doesn't wander off."

"Oh, all right," Lionblood sighed. "Will you and Owlpaw be joining us later?"

"Yes, and I think Frostpool wanted to bring Pebblepaw, as well," Merrycloud answered. "Smolderfur and Duskpaw are practicing battle moves today, so we probably won't see them."

"Got it." With a nod, Lionblood hurried away.

"He worries too much!" Thorndancer complained when the light brown tom was out of earshot.

"It's just because he loves you and the kits," Merrycloud purred. "I still can't believe that you ended up choosing Lionblood as your mate – you loved Smolderfur so much, back when we were apprentices."

Thorndancer shrugged lazily. "What can I say… he chose Birdsong. I was just as surprised as you when I fell in love with Lionblood, but I know it was worth it – especially since it allowed Cherrykit, Rushkit, and Breezekit to be born."

Rushkit tumbled out of the nursery as she spoke, his black fur in disarray. "Thorndancer, Cherrykit pushed me!" he complained, staring up at his mother with wide green eyes.

"Did not!" Cherrykit exclaimed, stepping out from behind Thorndancer. Her blue eyes glinted furiously, and her fluffy, silver tabby coat bristled with anger.

"You're just a mouse-heart, Cherrykit!" Rushkit snapped. "That's the only reason you'd have to try a sneak attack on me!" The kit was just as headstrong as his namesake, Rushpelt, but his sister could match his fire easily. She was just about to make a retort when their brother, Breezekit, poked his ginger head out from within the nursery.

"I was trying to take a nap, you mouse-brains!" he complained grumpily. Though he was the most docile of the three kits and never started a fight himself, the blue-eyed Breezekit was just as likely as any cat to be ferocious when angry.

"Do these kits have _any _of their father in them?" Merrycloud joked.

"Not that I can see," purred Thorndancer. "Speaking of that, Merrycloud… I really do worry about you, sometimes."

"What?" Merrycloud asked, startled. "Why?"

"Well, you haven't found a mate yet. I know that you don't _need _one, but it is a little unusual – we're just the right age to be queens, you know."

"No one in ShadowClan has caught my attention yet," Merrycloud replied indignantly. "Besides, who would I have to choose from? The only unmated toms in the Clan are Stripedstar and Drew, and Drew is the medicine cat!"

"Well, I'll admit that you don't have many options," admitted Thorndancer. "That's really what makes me worry, though."

Merrycloud bent down to lick her friend's ear. "Don't worry about me, Thorndancer. Maybe I just wasn't meant to find a mate."

Thorndancer shook her head. "Clearly, you don't understand why I'm worried. I'm not worried _about _you – at least, not about you being lonely. I'm worried because… well, you form friendships with cats outside the Clan far too easily. What if –"

"Don't," Merrycloud interrupted. "I don't even want to get into that. Listen, I'm taking Owlpaw to find Lionblood now, so don't get yourself or the kits into any sort of trouble."

Thorndancer rolled her eyes. "Really, Merrycloud, what sort of a mouse-brain do you take me for?"

"I should be asking you the same question," Merrycloud called as she broke into a run towards the apprentices' den. "Hey, Owlpaw! We're going hunting with Lionblood and Rosepaw!"

"Oh, you're going now?" Frostpool called from near the elders' den. "Let me find Pebblepaw and I'll be right with you."

"Got it!" Merrycloud shouted back.

It was still so hard to believe that the events involving Larkleaf had taken place nearly two seasons ago. Merrycloud still dreamed about the days of hiding out at Fourtrees occasionally, and awoke thinking that Shallowstone or Lightningpelt should be by her side. Perhaps Thorndancer was right – perhaps she did befriend cats from other Clans too easily. Her own father's punishment for mating with a kittypet should have been enough indication to her that she should not repeat his mistakes, but sometimes, she worried about the same things as Thorndancer.

She still spoke to both Lightningpelt and Shallowstone at Gatherings. Shallowstone was mates with a white she-cat named Dovedream now, and the two of them were expecting kits. Merrycloud highly doubted that Lightningpelt would ever find a mate – there was something about him that drew her in and repelled her, all at the same time, as if he came from some other world. She doubted if any cat even spoke to him regularly, other than herself, Stripedstar, Lizardstar, and Drew.

Drew was an odd cat anyway, though. He had some rough and prickly edges, but was actually very kind and caring; he tended to want to do things his own way, however, regardless of Stripedstar's orders or even the code. Stripedstar had never even offered him a warrior name – if Drew had wanted one, he would have asked for one himself, or even demanded it. Merrycloud knew that despite all his oddities, Lionblood's apprentice Rosepaw had a crush on him, and this worried her greatly. Though the grey she-cat was not as small and weak as she had been at birth, she was still rather gentle and sensitive, and Merrycloud knew that her affections for Drew would only end in a broken heart. Worse, Rosepaw had expressed interest in switching to medicine training, and while Merrycloud knew that this job would be better than warrior for the gentle she-cat, she had to wonder if Rosepaw's heart was truly in the right place, or if she only wanted this training in order to work with Drew.

Rosepaw's brother Owlpaw, who was Merrycloud's apprentice, was an intelligent and thoughtful tom, and Merrycloud had no doubt that if he set his mind to it, he could be leader someday. Duskpaw, on the other hand, was a fun-loving cat who could never be serious – much like Thorndancer in her youth. The true leader of the siblings, however, was Pebblepaw. She, like Owlpaw, was intelligent, but she did not posses her brother's amazing decision-making skills. However, she was very persuasive, and could almost always talk the other apprentices into seeing her point of view. While she would also make a good leader, Merrycloud still felt that Owlpaw, with his critical thinking and higher intellect, would be a better choice.

Overall, ShadowClan was enjoying a long period of peace. Merrycloud was certain that things would not stay this calm forever, but she enjoyed the quiet while she could. At times she found herself missing the days when the four Clans were as one, when boundaries were not so important, and when friendships could blossom and thrive between Clans without the harsh judgment that came with following the code. At times she found herself specifically missing Lightningpelt – his calm, his almost mysterious influence, and his deep kindness that existed below layers and layers of unusually distancing individuality. Almost paradoxically, Merrycloud sometimes found it unusual to _not_ have a cat around with strange powers, a cat who knew everything that was going on around them, whether spoken or unspoken.

_It will pass, _Merrycloud told herself. _One day, everything will be back to normal, and everything will _feel _normal again._

Stepping out into the leaf-fall wood, orange and brown leaves crunching beneath her paws and her silver tabby apprentice at her heels, Merrycloud was not entirely sure that she believed her own thoughts.

_Oh well…_

"Why don't we practice on our way to find Lionblood?" Merrycloud suggested, turning to Owlpaw; Frostpool and Pebblepaw had not yet entered the wood. "Now remember, when you stalk a mouse, they can actually feel the vibrations that your paws make…"

* * *

**And that's really the end.**

**Next, I'm going to dive into the dangerous world of… **_**Twilight fanfiction. **_**(shudder) I've been planning a Volturi-centric story for months now, but I think it's rather obvious why I waited until now to mention it – I didn't want your opinions of me as an author to be shot down, and I really hope that they haven't been.**

**Besides that, I'm also considering writing a Pokémon fic or two. I have quite a few ideas for that fandom, actually. Another Alice in Wonderland oneshot may also come out at some point – one that is much lighter and, well, sillier in tone than my previous oneshot (even though that one was admittedly pretty light as well).**

**I'll also probably update my ongoing Tokyo Mew Mew fic eventually, although I've been having some serious writer's block as far as that one is concerned.**

**So, just because I'm not writing Warriors anymore, at least for a little while, doesn't mean that I won't be working. I hope that at least one of the things I've mentioned has caught your interest, and thank you once again for being such fantastic and loyal readers!**


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